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BIBLE LANDS 



NOTES OF TRAVEL 

In Germany, Denmark, Austria, Italy, Greece, 
Asia Minor, Syria and the Holy Land, 



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L. MILLED 



MOUNT MORRIS, ILL.: 
THE BKETHREN'S PUBLISHING CO. 

1884. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1884, by 
D. L. MILLEE, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C. 



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 



MY CONSTANT COMPANION IN ALL MY WANDERINGS, 
MY EVER READY 
AND CHEERFUL ASSISTANT IN ALL MY WORK, 
MY BEST FRIEND AND HELPMEET FOR THESE MANY YEARS, 
MY INSPIRATION TO 
A HIGHER, A NOBLER AND A BETTER LIFE, 
TO HER, 

AS A NOBLE, CHRISTIAN WOMAN, 
"GOD'S LAST, 
BEST GIFT TO MAN," 
I AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATE THIS BOOK. 



PREFACE. 



Why another book should be added to the already long 
list of works descriptive of the subjects contained in this 
volume, is a question that may very properly be asked. The 
author disclaims all responsibility for the appearance of 
these letters in book form. When we first left home (and 
we here refers to myself and wife, for she was my constant 
traveling companion and helped me not a little in preparing 
this work for the press; hence the use of the plural pronoun), 
we had not thought of extending our travels beyond a part 
of Central Europe, and my letter-writing was to have been 
confined to an occasional article for the Gospel Messenger, 
descriptive of our travels and giving such observations as 
we were enabled to make. But the letters from Europe, at 
the urgent request of many of our brethren and friends, 
grew in number and then we were urged to go down to Pal- 
estine and continue to write. This we finally concluded to 
do, but had no intention, even then, of preserving the letters 
in their present form. It was only after our return to Amer- 
ica, and while attending the Annual Conference of our fra- 
ternity at Dayton, Ohio, that, being strongly urged by many 
of the brethren and friends, we first seriously considered the 
matter of publishing this volume. The responsibility, it will 
be seen, rests upon our friends. 

We do not lay claim to either originality or scholarship. 
The time spent in the Holy Land was much too short to 
visit every point of interest, or to attempt extended research. 
We have freely used the best authors upon the subjects and, 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

whilst we have given our own observations, we have also giv- 
en in some cases, the thoughts and words of others. We 
are especially indebted to Baedeker's "Palestine and Syria," 
Stanley's "Sinai and Palestine," Thompson's "The Land and 
the Book," Cook's "Palestine and Syria," Prime's "Tent Life 
in Palestine," Gordon's "Eenections in Palestine," McGar- 
vey's "Lands of the Bible," and "Our Work in Palestine." 
All of these are most excellent works and are worthy a care- 
ful study. 

The measurements given are taken mostly from Baede- 
ker and are, perhaps, the most reliable to be found. Indeed, 
Baedeker's book is one of the best and most reliable works to 
be had for general information on Palestine. 

In sending this volume out, the author expresses the 
hope that, under God's blessing, some good may result from 
its publication. If any one is led to read and examine the 
Bible, and is thus brought into a closer communion with the 
spirit of the Book of books, we shall feel that our long, fa- 
tiguing journey, and the many weary hours spent over these 
letters was time and labor not spent in vain. 



Mount Morris, 111., } 
Nov. 15, 1884. j 




PART I. 

Letters from Europe, 



LETTER I. 



^ From our Home in America to Germany. 
^^pFTEE much serious and prayerful reflection, and a long 
jfpg discussion of the matter, we determined, by the bless- 
"ISp^ ing of our Heavenly Father, to visit some parts of 
the Old World. In this, we have been actuated by a desire 
to carry out a resolve to visit the Vaterland, and to become 
better acquainted with the language, and the country, from 
which our church emigrated nearly two centuries ago. For 
many years after reaching America, our Brethren wrote and 
spoke only in the German, and all of our early church liter- 
ature, both printed and in manuscript, is in that language. 
Hence, the desire to become better acquainted with the 
German. We also had a strong desire to visit the field of 
our dear brother Hope's labors, and, if possible, to say an 
encouraging word to him. Having thus definitely settled 
our purpose, we propose to give our readers, from time to 
time, letters containing a summary of observations and re- 
flections made on our trip. We shall make no promises as to 
the frequency of these letters, but shall write as often as we 
may have items of interest to communicate. 

On the morning of July 23rd, 1883, we bade farewell to 
our friends at Mt. Morris, and started on our long journey. 

2 



|Q LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

The parting, to us, was a sad one, and especially was it hard 
to say good-bye to those with whom we had been so closely 
connected in the school work. Four years we had labored 
together, in a work beset by many perplexities and anxieties, 
and in all that time, our pleasant relations had not been 
marred by an unkind or unpleasant word We met with 
many discouragements and trials, but we stood together as 
one man, and success, to some degree, at least, had crowned 
our labors. To cut loose from this work, and to separate 
from our co-workers, was a task harder than we had at first 
thought it would be. 

Then, too, as the time for parting came, we thought ot 
our prayer-meetings, our Sunday-school, and our church ser- 
vices. How we have, in the past, enjoyed these spiritual 
feasts' How often, when cast down amid the cares and diffi- 
culties consequent upon our work, have we had our souls 
refreshed, and our spiritual strength renewed, by the com- 
munion with kindred spirits in the "Upper Boom," at our 
prayer-meetings. How the kind, helpful, encouraging words 
of our dear brethren and sisters have given us fresh courage 
to take up again the burden, made lighter because we were 
made stronger to bear it. Brethren, do not neglect the 
prayer-meeting; it is a means of grace, which, if properly 
used, cannot fail to strengthen you in your spiritual life. 

These reflections, with many others, came crowding upon 
us as the hour for our departure came. Many were the tears 
shed, and many were the good wishes given, and the prayers 
pledged, for our safety, during our long, and somewhat dan- 
gerous journey. We went away feeling that we were not 
worthy of the love manifested to us, by our brethren and 
friends, and we determined, in the future, by the help of 
God, to merit this warm, heart-felt affection given to us, and 
to be more faithful in our work. The last farewell was said, 



~7 



THE OLD HOME. 11 

and we took our seats in the cars, and were soon speeding 
on our way eastward. 

Thinking of the future, we wondered whether we should 
ever again be permitted to return to our home, and we won- 
dered too, if no one of the faces we saw at the depot on that 
July morning would be missing on our return. But the veil 
of the future is not lifted for mortals, and it is well that it is 
not. A pleasant ride of forty-eight hours brought us to the 
old home in Maryland. 

To return after many years, to the old home, and to visit 
the scenes of early youth and childhood, fills the heart with 
both pleasant and sad reflections. It is pleasant to renew old 
and almost forgotten acquaintances, to ramble over the old, 
and well-remembered hills and valleys, to search out the 
nooks and corners, where in childhood we spent so many 
happy hours, where every rock and tree is familiar, and each 
brings to mind some reminiscence of the olden time, recall- 
ing to memory the pure, unalloyed pleasures of childhood, 
before dull, corroding care touched our hearts; when the 
shadows flitted quickly, and all the joyous years were full of 
sunshine and childish happiness. But with these pleasant 
reflections come sad ones, too. We stand, it is true, amid the 
familiar scenes of our youth, but we look in vain for the 
friends of the olden time. We realize that we are strangers 
in our old home. As we stand in some well-remembered 
spot, made almost sacred to memory by the associations of 
the past, and give way to reflection, how the long-forgotten 
faces, ike ghosts of the past, come trooping through the 
mind — how each face and form carries with it some memory 
of the past! But of all the faces that come and go, like the 
flitting shadows of a summer day, one only, remains with me 
in all my wanderings around the old home. It is the face of 
my sainted mother. Years ago she died and was laid away 



12 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

to rest in the quiet church-yard, and her loved form has 
mouldered to dust, although dead, yet she speaketh. Her 
life of pure, unselfish, Christian devotion, to her family and 
friends, has raised for her a monument more lasting than 
marble or granite. The example of a life like hers is worth 
much to humanity. 

We spent several weeks wandering around the old home, 
and then turned our faces toward New York, from which 
port we were to sail on the 22nd of August. We spent a 
short time in Baltimore and stopped a few days with friends 
and relatives in Philadelphia. The 21st day of August we 
reached New York in safety, and here we had the pleasure 
of meeting our traveling companions, Professors J enks and 
Burnett. 

On the Atlantic. 

Wednesday morning, August 22nd, at 8 o'clock, was the 
time set for the sailing of the good ship "Werra." We came 
aboard the evening before, and inspected our quarters. We 
found everything in good order. Our state-room is large, 
containing two good berths and a large sofa, and is well ven- 
tilated; altogether, it is much better than we expected to find 
it. We concluded to spend the night aboard, and enjoyed a 
refreshing sleep. 

Promptly at 8 o'clock in the morning, the cry was given, 
"All ashore!" and at the same moment, a heavy wagon, drawn 
by two fine horses, came dashing up to the dock, heavily lad- 
en with the United States mail. In an incredibly short 
time, the heavy mail-bags were transferred to the deck of 
the steamer, the gangways were withdrawn, and almost im- 
perceptibly the great ship, with her living burden, began 
moving away. 

The dock was lined with people; some came to say good- 
bye to friends, and others, out of idle curiosity, to see the 



ON THE ATLANTIC. 



13 



ship sail. We moved slowly out of the clock, amid the wav- 
ing of handkerchiefs, the playing of a band of music, the 
cheering of the throng, and the weeping of friends. We 
realize that we are going away from home and friends, and 
tears come unbidden to our eyes; but we are cheered with 
the hope that we shall meet again. Ah! what should we do 
in this world without hope? It is an anchor unto the soul, 
both sure and steadfast. 

We were propelled out into the North Eiver by a small 
tug. Here the immense engines of the steamer were set in 
motion, and we went steaming down the river at ten miles 
an hour. A half hour before we started, a French steamer 
had put out from her dock, and she was now a mile or two 
ahead of the " Werra." As a matter of course, the Germans 
expected a race. Many expressions of contempt of the 
Frenchman's power were to be heard. She steamed away 
bravely, with the French flag flying at her mast-head, but 
she could not withstand the mighty strokes of the "Werra's" 
engines. We soon left her far in the rear, and, in a few 
hours, we lost sight of her entirely. 

What a grand sight it is, steaming out of New York 
harbor! For many miles, the city is in sight. We catch a 
glimpse of the great bridge across East Eiver to Brooklyn, 
the longest in the world, and with our glass examine it close- 
ly. It is certainly a marvel of engineering skill. We now 
passed out through the Narrows, where, on both sides, are 
strong fortifications, bristling with cannon, guarding the en- 
trance to the harbor. 

We are now fairly out at sea, and we stop for a moment 
to allow our pilot to disembark, and then go steaming away 
at fifteen and a half miles an hour. Land is lost sight of, 
and we are fairly surrounded by water. A world of water, 



14 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

thirty-five millions of square miles. How vast in extent! 
We are lost in an effort to comprehend fully its magnitude. 

The speed of the vessel is increased and the swelling of 
the ocean gives the ship a rolling motion, which increases, 
until many of the passengers are. seasick. Wife and I 
bravely determined to put on a bold front, and not succumb 
without a struggle. We walked the promenade deck in rath- 
er an uncertain and unsteady manner. The rolling of the 
ship increased and on every side the sick ones were suffering 
Our time came too. We all had to yield to the disease. 
One gets no sympathy in seasickness. In fact, it is rather a 
matter of sport to all except the sufferer. No one has- ever 
been known to die from its effects. And yet many people 
suffer terribly from it, and we can testify with many who 
have gone through the ordeal that it is not a laughing mat- 
ter. Some become so much prostrated from the effects of 
the disease that it requires a long time to recover. 

Dinner is announced, but very few appear at the table; 
supper the same. We stay on deck until 9 o'clock, and then 
go to bed, or "turn in," as the sailors say. A good night's 
sleep, and we feel much better. The morning of the 23rd 
opens bright and clear. Our party all appear at the break- 
fast table, but our appetites are rather hard to please. We 
manage to eat a little by persuasion and compulsion and then 
go on deck for a walk. 

During the night, the swellings of the ocean had subsid- 
ed and every trace of seasickness had disappeared. The 
bright, beautiful morning, the fresh ocean breeze, breaking 
the water into countless ripples, upon which the morning 
sun flashed and sparkled like millions of diamonds, gives one 
a keen sense of enjoyment that one can only find on board 
ship. The sun shone brightly all day, and everybody seem- 
ed to enjoy the beauty and healthfulness of the scene. 



A STOEM AT SEA. 10 

During the day, we passed a fleet of fishermen. Ten 
miles to the south of us, a large steamer kept in view all day; 
it was the " Servia," bound for Liverpool. We enjoyed the 
fresh air on the deck until late at night. 

The morning of the 24th, we were awakened by the blow- 
ing of the fog-horn; and going on deck, we found that a thick, 
impenetrable fog had settled down on sea and ship, so dense 
that, at times, one could scarce see the length of the vessel. 
A drenching rain-storm set in, and altogether the day was 
anything but pleasant. 

Saturday and Sunday, the 25th and 26th, were much the 
same as the preceding day. Occasionally, the fog would 
lift for an hour or two, and give us a view of the sea; and we 
were each time filled with hopes that it would clear away, 
but each time we were disappointed. During Sunday after- 
noon, the rain fell in torrents, driving all below deck. 

Monday morning, the 27th, long before daylight, we felt 
from the rocking and pitching of the steamer, that a change 
of weather had taken place. At daylight, we went on deck, 
and a grand sight met our eyes. We were having 

A Storm at Sea. 

The sky was covered with clouds of a dull leaden hue, 
growing darker and darker as they neared the horizon. The 
wind was blowing hard from the south-west and increased in 
force during the forenoon. The fog had entirely disappear- 
ed, and we could see Old Ocean in all his grandeur, lashing 
and foaming in rage. Huge billows with white-crested tops, 
tinged with green, rose and towered aloft, then sank away, 
leaving a deep chasm, where, a moment before, stood almost 
a mountain of water, and, in a moment, the chasm was again 
filled and another white-crested hill bore down upon us, 
throwing its spray high over the deck; as high as the smoke- 



16 



LETTERS FEOM EUROPE. 



stacks, which were soon covered with a crust of salt. The 
pipes being hot, the water evaporates rapidly, leaving the 
deposit of salt. 

Occasionally, a billow higher than the rest would dash 
against the ship, and deluge the deck. Hiding on the crest 
of these waves, the ship's wheel would often be thrown out 
of the water, and with nothing to resist its great force, it 
would spin around with wonderful rapidity. This, with the 
pressure and the force of the waves, would cause the vessel 
to groan in every joint, and tremble like an aspen in the 
hands' of a giant. But the good ship shook off the waters, 
and sprang forward, cutting her way through the billows, 
never changing her course. Indeed she used the storm to 
strengthen her speed, by unfurling her sails ; and as the wind 
was in her favor, she dashed through the mad waves at an 
increased rate of speed. 

The wind blew, and the sea roared and the great billows 
seethed and hissed around us, but we felt secure in the 
strong ship and under the guiding hand of our Father above. 

As we sat upon the hurricane-deck, protected by our 
waterproof wrappings from the spray, and watched the con- 
tending elements, we thought, how insignificant is man! How 
small a space does he fill in God's universe! How weak and 
powerless he is, when compared with Him who holds in His 
hands the storm and the sea! And yet, how important he 
sometimes becomes, assuming to himself great power and 
authority? A moment's experience of this kind ought to 
teach a lesson of true humility, never to be forgotten. 

The storm subsided in the evening, but the waves 
continued to run high nearly all night. The morning of the 
27th, our fifth day at sea, was bright and clear. The sea was 
still running high, the effect of yesterday's storm, but we all 
enjoyed the change from the four days of fog and storm. 



LAND HO! 



17 



During the storm, we were all sea-sick, but to-day we are 
able to do justice to the ample meals set before us. The 29th 
brought us another foggy day, wet and disagreeable, and we 
were glad to keep below. A fog at sea is decidedly disagree- 
able, and not only disagreeable, but also very dangerous. So 
many vessels are crossing and recrossing the great ocean at 
all times, that the danger from collision is greater than one 
might, at first thought, believe, and this dauger is magnified 
many times during a heavy fog. The fog to-day was so dense 
at times that we could only see a short distance from the 
ship. It makes one rather nervous to think of the great ship 
plunging forward at the rate of sixteen miles an hour, into a 
dark wall of fog, that shuts out vision like a thick veil. 
Thursday, the 30th, brought us clear weather, and a sight of 
land. We all crowded on deck, glad once more to get a 
glimpse of Old Mother Earth. 

The ship's course lay along the southern coast of Eng- 
land. It looked rough and inhospitable enough at first, but 
getting closer, we could see many fields, whose well-trimmed 
hedges gave them a very pretty appearance. Occasionally, a 
house was to be seen, or rather a cluster of houses, and these 
were generally painted white, and looked neat and clean. 

About noon we passed a point called the Needles. South 
of us lay the Isle of Wight, and on the north, the coast of 
England. The entrance is narrow, and is also rather dan- 
gerous for large vessels. On the south, the rocks rise to the 
height of 50 or 60 feet, almost perpendicularly, and present, 
by their different colors, a fine view. Out from the rocks 
stands a large light-house, warning the mariner not to ap- 
proach too near. On the top of the bluff are immense forti- 
fications, mounted with monster guns to defend the entrance 
to the harbor. On the north side, the beach is flat and level, 
and here a large fort has been built. What immense sums 

3 



18 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

of money are, and have been spent for war, all of which 
might be saved, if the so-called Christian world would obey 
the injunction of our Divine Master. 

We are now entering the English Channel; it is quite 
narrow, and many beautiful towns, villages and residences 
are to be seen on either side. The well-kept lawns, the neat- 
ly trimmed hedges, and the fine groves, make a pretty sight. 

We reached Southampton about 4 o'clock, some hours 
later than we were told we would arrive. There about thirty 
of our passengers disembarked, getting aboard a small steam- 
er, and being taken to the dock, the water not being deep 
enough to allow the "Werra" to go up. From this point we 
steamed through the English Channel, directly* into the 
North Sea, passing on the way, Portsmouth, the great naval 
station of England. Here we caught a glimpse of some huge 
ships, — English men-of-war. We also passed the immense 
circular forts, or turrets, built out in the bay to defend the 
harbor. These forts are covered with many thicknesses of 
heavy plate steel, and are built strong enough to resist the 
heaviest guns. Around the fort are port-holes, from which 
many guns are pointed; ready to fire upon an enemy should 
one appear. , 

As we pass along, many more beautiful farm-houses are 
seen, and signs of the rich fertility of the soil appear. This 
sight afforded us much more pleasure than the war-like prep- 
arations we saw on every hand. 

Night, however, soon closed these scenes to our eyes. 
Friday morning we were again out of sight of land. The 
North Sea, which is usually very rough, was calm and smooth, 
so that with a pleasant day, we had a very nice run through 
its turbulent waters. This evening, at 8:30 we reach Bre- 
merhaven, and go ashore in the morning. 



THE WEEEA. 



19 



Our Good Ship. 

Before taking leave of the "Werra," we will give our 
readers some description of her. A letter from the General 
Agents of the steamship line, introduced us to Captain Barre, 
who very courteously invited us to inspect the ship, and also 
sent an officer to act as a guide. 

The following facts and figures were given us partly by 
the officers, and in part we took them from the ship's books. 
The " Werra" is a new, iron steamship, built in Scotland in 
1882, at a cost of about $800,000. She is 450 feet long, 
(about as long as our College grounds at Mt. Morris are 
wide,) 48 feet wide, and 36 feet 6 inches deep from the main 
deck to tfye bottom of the hold. She is manned by 172 offi- 
cers and men. The captain has supreme control, and his 
word is law. The most rigid discipline is enforced; every 
man knowing and keeping his place. She is one of the larg- 
est and best steamers crossing the Atlantic, and has just 
made the quickest time on record between New York and 
Southampton, — seven days and twenty-three hours. She has 
a carrying capacity of 6,000 tons, and is allowed by law to 
carry 1350 passengers, 350 cabin and 1,000 steerage. 

The first place visited was the engine-room, boilers and 
furnaces. We go down into the depths of the great ship, 
and find an immense compound engine, or three engines in 
one, of 6,000 horse-power. Twenty-four furnaces supply the 
heat. The daily consumption of coal is from 115 to 120 tons. 
In the last trip from New York to Bremen and return, 2417 
tons of coal were burned. The immense shaft to which the 
wheel is attached is about 2^ feet in diameter, made of the 
best iron, and is about 230 feet long. The engine is located 
in the centre of the ship. The shaft makes 60 to 62 revolu- 
tions per minute, and each revolution is recorded by means 
of a counter, very similar to the one used on the press for 



20 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

counting the editions of the Gospel Messenger. At the time 
I looked at it, it had made almost 800,000 revolutions. 

From the depths of the ship where the hres are kept 
burning clay and night, we again come on deck. Going for- 
ward to the bow of the boat, we go down from the hurricane- 
deck and come to the main deck. About 150 feet of this 
deck amid-ship is used for cabins; on the one side, for the 
men employed in the engine-room, and on the other for the 
engineers and machinists, whilst in the center are kitchens, 
bake-rooms, etc. The forward part of the deck is open, and 
is used by the steerage passengers, whilst the rear part, cov- 
ered with an awning, is used by the second cabin passengers. 
Going down again we came to the third deck. On this floor 
are located the cabins of the first and second cabin passen- 
gers. The first cabins are forward, and the second cabins in 
the rear. The cabins, or sleeping rooms of the first are 
about eight feet long, six feet wide, and seven feet seven in- 
ches high. In each cabin are two berths, for the accommo- 
dation of two passengers ; they are richly and elegantly fur- 
nished with sofa, dressing case, etc. The second cabins are 
a little wider than the first, each containing berths for the 
accommodation of four passengers. We secured one next to 
the steward's, with two berths and a sofa, so that we had the 
advantage of the first cabin, in the second. The cabins are 
nicely, but plainly furnished; are clean and well ventilated, 
and are very comfortable. 

The saloon, or dining-room of the first cabin is one of 
the finest pieces of decorative art to be found; richly carved 
panels, velvet carpet, in fact, everything as rich as it can be 
made. The second cabin saloon is plainly, but comfortably 
furnished, and is good enough for any one. 

We make another descent and we come to the steerage 
deck, where are stowed away the steerage passengers. Bunks 



I 



ON GEEMAN SOIL. ^1 

are built from floor to ceiling, and here often 1,000 emigrants 
are crowded. It seems almost impossible for any one to trav- 
el in this way. Many of the emigrants are very dirty and 
filthy; those who would keep clean are brought in contact, 
with the filth, for there is no privacy about it; all are thrown 
together. It is, perhaps, as well as the company can do, as 
they carry steerage passengers very cheap, and at the same 
time feed them well. 

Going down again, we reach the hold, or the bottom of 
the vessel, where are stored the freight and heavy baggage. 
Here also is the ice-house, refrigerators and store-rooms, 
where are stored the provisions for the trip. After being 
below an hour or two, we were glad to get on deck again and 
breathe the fresh sea air. 

The tables are bountifully served with excellent, well- 
cooked food, so that we all fared well in this department. 

Landing". 

While writing this, the ship has come to anchor, and we 
know that we are now at the mouth of the river Weser, a few 
miles from Bremerhaven. Here we remained all night. At 
8: 30 Saturday morning, September 1st, we went aboard a 
small steamer, and were taken to the dock; the tide being out, 
the "Werra" could not enter. 

At 9 o'clock a gang-plank was thrown ashore and we set 
our feet on German soil. Looking at my watch I found it 
was half past two by Mt. Morris 4;ime, so that here in Ger- 
many we are in the middle of the forenoon, whilst at home 
all are quietly sleeping. We felt to thank our Heavenly Fa- 
ther for his protecting care over us, during our long voyage; 
for we realized more than ever, our entire dependence upon 
him. 



♦ 



22 LETTERS FROM EUEOPE. 

We could scarcely realize that between us and our dear 
friends at home, rolled the mighty ocean; and yet the strange 
sights that greeted our eyes convinced us that we were in a 
foreign land. At Bremerhaven we took the train for Bremen, 
where some German friends, Mr. Lohmann's and Miss Plate, 
met us, and gave us a most hearty and cordial welcome to 
Germany. They were so kind and courteous that they made 
us feel quite at home in a strange land. 

At Bremen we expected to find a letter from Bro. Hope, 
relative to our visit to Denmark. Having been advised that it 
would be better to defer our visit there until next spring, the 
matter was referred to Bro. Hope, but presume the letter did 
not reach him in time. We then at once decided to go on to 
Dresden, stopping a short time at Hanover and Berlin. At 
4 o'clock on Saturday afternoon we left Bremen and reached 
Hanover at 7: 30, where we are now writing the closing lines 
of this letter. 

From here, on Monday, we go to Berlin, the capital of 
Germany, and on Thursday, the 6th of September, if all is well, 
we will reach Dresden, where we will stay about two months, 
and try, if possible, to get a little knowledge of the German. 
If the Lord will, we expect to spend the winter at Halle. 




LETTER II. 



Germany. 

||||j|E closed our last letter at Hanover, where we made our 
fgfijl first stop after leaving Bremen. The ride from 
"iSpf 3 Bremerhaven to Hanover, about 160 miles, presented 
to us many scenes of interest. The quaint, many-gabled old 
Dutch houses, with high and very steep roofs, covered in 
many places with thatch of straw, and in others with tiles; 
the old windmills with their immense sweeps, all seemed 
strange enough to us. The face of the country, however, be- 
tween Bremerhaven and Bremen is flat and level, and it did 
not require a very great stretch of imagination to think that 
we were riding from Chicago to Mt. Morris. Take away the 
fences from the prairies, put up an occasional Dutch wind- 
mill and a thatch-covered house, and there would be hardly 
a noticeable difference, unless it were the fact that in every 
field women were to be seen doing men's work. 

After leaving Bremen, the general appearance of the coun- 
try changes somewhat, growing more rolling, and reminds one 
more of the hills and valleys of Pennsylvania and Maryland. 
The methods employed in farming are, however, quite differ- 
ent from ours. As stated above, no fences are to be seen, and 
the farms look like large garden patches. A few acres of 
oats, then a patch of some kind of vegetables, (the sugar 
beet is largely cultivated) a grass patch of a few acres, and 
so the small farms are divided up. It is simply gardening on 
a large scale. 

A noticeable feature in farming is the adherence to the 
old-time implements. Plows look much like those used in 



24 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

primitive times, whilst trie olden-time sickle has hardly been 
discarded. In riding from Bremerhaven to Hanover, we saw 
many farmers cutting oats and grass. It was all being done 
with the scythe. Usually, in the oats patch, a man would be 
seen cutting with a cradle and a woman raking and binding 
the grain into sheaves. Much of the cultivation is done with 
hoes, and in some of the larger vegetable fields, many women 
are to be seen hoeing, and pulling weeds. J udging from what 
we saw on this ride, about three women work out-doors to 
one man. In a hay-field it is quite common to see women 
pitching and hauling in the new-mown hay, and so in every 
kind of hard, drudging work, the woman is compelled to do 
her share. 

The land seems to be very productive, and is very care- 
fully tilled. The idea here seems to be, how little and how 
well; whilst with us all are anxious to see how much can be 
done without so much anxiety as to how well it is done. I 
am well satisfied that if the rich lands of America were as 
well cultivated, and their resources as carefully husbanded as 
are the garden-farms of Germany, that there would be a two- 
fold increase in the annual production. In the years to come, 
when the Mississippi Yalley alone will contain forty million 
people, then this method of gardening will be a necessity. 
For the present, however, we prefer the American plan, with 
the enterprise and push, the industry and the grand results, 
in the aggregate, accomplished by our farmers at home. 

Railroads. 

The first thing that is likely to strike an American trav- 
eling for the first time in Europe, as being especially pecul- 
iar, is the marked difference in the railroads and their man- 
agement, as compared with ours at home. The cars are much 
smaller than ours, being but little larger than those used on 



RAILROAD TRAVEL IN GERMANY. 



r 25 



our narrow-gauge roads. Each car is divided into four or 
five compartments, seating from five to eight passengers. 
These compartments are entered from the sides of the cars, 
and are entirely separated from each other. After one gets 
used to the change, it is quite a pleasant way to travel. Es- 
pecially is this true, if four or five friends are traveling to- 
gether; they can usually have a section to themselves, and 
this is decidedly pleasant, as we have already found. With 
a well-filled lunch basket, a day's travel in one of these rooms, 
with a couple of friends, is very enjoyable indeed. You have 
the same privacy and seclusion that you would enjoy in your 
own home. 

On the whole, traveling here is much cheaper than it is 
in America. First-class tickets are sold at about three cents 
per mile; second-class, two cents; third-class, one and one- 
fourth cents, and fourth-class at about three-fourths of a 
cent. There is but little difference between the first and sec- 
ond-class compartments, both being very nicely upholstered, 
and quite comfortable. The third-class compartments, or 
coupes, as they are called, have comfortable seats, but they 
are not upholstered; and the fourth-class are without seats. 
The second and third-class cars are the more largely patron- 
ized, very few going first-class. I have noticed many seem- 
ingly well-to-do people going into the fourth-class cars. 
Many who go fourth-class, carry with them camp-stools, 
while others stand up during the entire journey. The ex- 
press or courier trains are run at about the same rate of 
speed that we are used to at home, perhaps a trifle slower, 
but there is not a noticeable difference in this respect. The 
local trains, however, run much slower, making, as a general 
thing, not any faster time than is made by our freight trains. 

There are also sleeping cars, (Schlafwcegen, as they are 
called here,) attached to the night trains. 

4 



26 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



Great care and caution is used to prevent accidents, espec- 
ially is this the case in the country where the public roads 
cross the railroad track. At all of the crossings a guard is, 
stationed, whose duty it is to keep the highway closed, when 
there is danger from passing trains, and it is only opened, so 
that the country people may ride or drive across the railroad 
track when there is absolutely no danger from locomotives. 
People in Germany are not killed on railroad crossings. 

This same care and caution extends alike to every de- 
partment of the road. At the depot care is taken that people 
are not injured by incoming trains. The doors of the wait- 
ing rooms leading to the trains, are usually kept closed until 
the train is ready to receive passengers. No one is allowed 
to cross the track in front of an engine when it is standing at 
the depot. Before the train starts, the conductor goes to each 
compartment and closes the doors and sees that the passen- 
gers are all in their places. As a result of this caution, rail- 
road accidents are hardly known in Germany. It is safe to 
say that not one-tenth the number of accidents occur on Ger- 
man roads, as on our own. It might be well for the managers 
of American railroads to import and adopt the German plan. 
It would add to the safety, and possibly to the comfort of the 
traveling public. 

Hanover 

Is one of the royal cities of Germany, and is the capital 
of the Prussian province of Hanover. It has a population of 
about 150,000, including its suburbs. Prior to 1866, it was 
an independent kingdom, but after the war between Prussia 
and Austria, it was ceded to Prussia, and its reigning family 
was sent into exile. 

Here we spent a few days, visiting some of the many 
places of interest to be seen. Here is the palace and estate 
of the late King. The palace is beautifully fitted up within, 



HANOVER. 



2? 



"but has been unoccupied since the banishment of the King, 
in 1866. The entire estate is held intact by the Prussian 
Government, and it is said will be given to the son of the 
late King, as soon as he renounces all claims to the throne of 
Hanover. This he refuses to do, preferring to live in ban- 
ishment, rather than to give up the inheritance of his fathers, 
and so these fine buildings and beautiful grounds are left 
unoccupied. It fills one with sad reflections, and sympathy 
for the unfortunate exiles, to visit these places. 

On Sunday, September 2nd, we attended services in the 
Schloss Kirche. This is one of the oldest churches in the 
city, as well as the largest. It was built some hundred years 
ago; the exact date we could not learn. It looks very old, 
and contains the body of George I, of England. The congre- 
gation was large, and all seemed solemn and devotional. The 
singing was grand, and when the solemn old German hymns 
were sung by the whole congregation, in good time, it made 
one feel that it was a good place to be. 

Germany is a land of song, and everybody seems to be 
not only able to sing, but to sing well. Troops of children 
singing on the streets, is not an unusual sight. The preach- 
er was earnest and apparently effective. He preached in 
German, from the text, "No man can serve two masters." 
We managed, by close attention, to understand a very little of 
the sermon. His manner was impressive, and as he appealed 
to his hearers to serve God, and not Mammon, he grew elo- 
quent. The services were Lutheran, which is the State re- 
ligion. 

We enjoyed a drive through the parks and gardens of 
the city, which are very fine, and well worth a visit, especial- 
ly the King's garden, which is handsomely arranged, in shady 
walks, and splendid drives. We visited also the royal sta- 
bles, where are bred the celebrated Hanoverian horses, and 



28 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



saw some fine animals. There are two colors, pure white and 
cream colored, and so careful are those who have charge of 
the horses, that a colt that has a spot or blemish on it, or 
even a hair other than the desired color, is at once killed. 
The Queen of England who is a descendant of the house of 
Hanover, gets her horses from these stables. None of them 
are ever sold except to the royal families. Boyalty is exclu- 
sive even in horses. 

We spent several days in Hanover, very pleasantly and 
profitably, and then went to 

Berlin, 

The capital of Prussia, and, since 1871, of the German 
Empire, is one of the most important and handsome cities of 
Europe. It is usually the residence of the Emperor, William 
I., and contains a population of nearly one million and a quar- 
ter, and is about twelve miles in circumference. It is situat- 
ed on the river Spree, a small, sluggish stream, which inter- 
sects the city, and is crossed by about fifty bridges. The 
river is navigable for barges, and is connected by canals with 
the Oder and Elbe, thus giving Berlin an extensive water 
communication. 

The most prominent objects of attraction to the traveler 
and stranger are the fine public buildings and splendid pal- 
aces on the street called Tinier den Linden. This is said to 
be one of the most beautiful streets in the world. It is 220 
feet wide, and in the center, and forty feet from the center 
on either side, are rows of linden and chestnut trees. These 
three rows of trees make two shady promenades, extending 
the entire length of the street; affording most delightful 
walks on a hot summer day. 

On this street are to be found the royal palace, the pri- 
vate residence of the Emperor, the private residence of the 



BERLIN. 4* 

Crown Prince Frederic (whom the Germans familiarly call 
Unser Fritz,— out Fred), the Berlin University at which 
there is an annual attendance of about five thousand students, 
the museums, the gallery of oil paintings, and many other 
fine buildings of interest. 

We visited the royal palace, but I shall not attempt to 
give a description of it, further than to say, that we were 
shown through a number of rooms, the floors of which were 
of inlaid wood, polished as smooth as glass, all furnished and 
fitted up with exceeding grandeur; each succeeding room be- 
ing richer and more costly in its appointments than the pre- 
ceding one, until the throne-room is reached. Here is to be 
seen a combination of silks, satins, velvet, rich needle-work, 
gold, diamonds and precious stones, that gave us a new idea 
of the regal splendor of royalty, and of the pomp and cir- 
cumstance of kingly courts. Here millions of dollars are 
used in lavish display, and who can say that humanity or the 
world are any the better for it? 

We saw the Emperor, who is an old man of eighty-six 
years, but he looks much younger, and is hale and hearty. 
He rides out in his carriage much like a private citizen would 
do, and is greatly beloved by his "children," as he calls his 
subjects. He is to-day at the head of one of the strongest 
powers of Europe, United Germany, and it is to his sagacity 
as a r uler, and the statesmanship of his prime minister, 
Prince Bismarck, that this result has been brought about. 

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, which we also 
visited, contains many curious and interesting relics of the 
days of the Egyptian Pharaohs. Here are to be found the 
tombs, and, in some cases, the bodies, too, of these old kings. 
In recent excavations and explorations made around, and in 
the. Pyramids, these tombs were discovered. The sarcopha- 
gi, or coffins, are hewn out of solid granite, with a tightly fit- 



30 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



ting lid of the same material. On the lid, usually in bas-re- 
lief, is cut the figure or statue of a man or woman. Into 
these imperishable coffins, after being prepared by a process 
known only to the Egyptians, the bodies of the dead were 
laid away to rest 4000 years ago, and to-day, they are to be 
seen in a remarkable state of preservation. 

The belief prevailed among the Egyptians; that the de- 
parted souls of the dead would have need for food and weap- 
ons, in the unseen world. Hence, the custom of placing in 
the coffin, with the embalmed body of their dead, articles of 
food, grain, seeds, fruit, etc. Here may be seen grain taken 
from these coffins, that grew in Egypt 4000 years ago, and 
notwithstanding its great age, if it is planted, it will sprout 
and grow; showing that the life principle or germ has been 
lying dormant for these thousands of years. 

And so, too, I thought, will it be in the morning of the 
great resurrection. The dead who have quietly slept in their 
graves for these thousands of years will come forth. The 
life principle, the germ of immortality, that emanated from 
God himself, will come forth from the darkness of the tomb, 
rehabilitated with a new body, — a body, if we have done 
His will, fashioned after that of our Divine Master, stamp- 
ed upon the brow with the seal of immortality, the new name 
that He shall give to all his children. 

Here we also saw bricks made during the captivity of 
the children of Israel in Egypt, each brick bearing the seal 
or stamp of the Pharaoh under whose reign it was made. 
And it is not at all unlikely that these same bricks were made 
by the children of Israel. They are of a darkish color, and 
look much like the adobe brick we found in New Mexico. 
When they are broken, the straw used to hold the mortar 
more firmly together, can be seen. 



AMONG THE RELICS. 31 

We thought of the decree of Pharaoh, (Ex. 5:7), made 
in his determination to oppress the chosen people of God. 
He demanded that they should furnish daily the full number 
of bricks, at the same time refusing to furnish them straw. 
The nature of the clay or soil used, was of such a character, 
that it was impossible to temper the mortar so as to mould it 
into bricks, without the use of straw. The oppressed people 
were compelled to gather straw wherever they could find it. 
Here, in these broken pieces of brick, is to be found a strong 
evidence of the truth of the Sacred History. These Egyp- 
tian antiquities are full of interest to the Bible student. The 
inscriptions on the tombs and sarcophagi are cut deeply and 
clearly into the granite, and are as plain to-day as they were 
4000 years ago. These inscriptions are read by the Egyp- 
tian scholar and translated into the German, and I presume, 
also, into English. 

In every respect, these ancient inscriptions, where they 
refer at all to the history of the Bible times, agree with that 
book to the letter. In fact, all the excavations and discover- 
ies that have been made in Bible lands, only give evidence to 
the truth of the Book itself. As research after research is 
made, and antiquity, by the indefatigable labors of man, is 
forced to yield up her secrets, which have been held in the 
bosom of the earth for these thousands of years, each addi- 
tional discovery only adds new testimony and evidence to the 
truth of the Book of God. 

We spent considerable time among these old relics; and 
when we came out, we felt almost as if we had just stepped 
forward from the olden time. They were especially inter- 
esting, and when the time came for us to leave Berlin, we 
felt sorry that we had not arranged to spend more time in 
looking over and studying this most interesting collection, 
which is the largest and most complete of its kind in Europe, 



32 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



or, for that matter, in the world. Even in Egypt itself, no 
snch well-arranged collection can be found. 

We visited the Jewish synagogue, which is said to be 
the largest and finest in the world. It cost over a million of 
dollars. It is a magnificent building, and is modeled, on the 
inside, somewhat after the plan of the Temple at Jerusalem. 
A Jewish maiden guided us through the building. She drew 
aside the curtains made to represent the Holy of holies, and 
showed us the tables of stone, and ark, and the Law written 
on a roll of parchment. Above the ark is a gaslight, kept 
burning all the time, to represent the fire that is not to go 
out upon the altar. This part of the synagogue is very rich- 
ly decorated, the curtains and hangings being made of fine 
velvet. There are many Jews in Berlin, who represent con- 
siderable wealth; and they have here invested a good deal 
of it, in building and decorating this synagogue. A mar- 
riage was to be performed there in an hour after we left, and 
although we were informed that we might stay if we desired, 
yet we were compelled, for want of time, to go away with- 
out seeing the ceremony. 

Dresden. 

We left Berlin with some regrets, on account of the 
shortness of our time there, and came on to Dresden, where 
we have since made our home. Dresden is the capital of 
Saxony, one of the States of the German Empire. It is a 
beautiful city of 220,000 inhabitants, and is situated on the 
Elbe Kiver, which runs through the city, and is crossed at dif- 
ferent places by three magnificent stone bridges. Two of 
them were built a long time ago, two hundred years, I be- 
lieve. The last one was built more recently, and cost $800,- 
000. 

This city is usually the residence of the King of Saxony. 
Like all the German cities which we have visited, it is kept 



. DEESDEN. « 33 

scrupulously clean. The streets are paved mostly with cut 
stone, making a smooth, even surface. Men and women are 
constantly to be seen sweeping the streets with large brooms, 
made of some kind of fine brush. The dirt so gathered is 
shoveled into hand-carts and wheeled away. Yery much of 
this work is done by women. In fact, women do fully as 
much, if not more heavy, out-door work than men. We see 
them plowing, sowing, reaping, binding, shoveling and car- 
rying coal, chopping wood, and doing all kinds of hard out- 
door work. Here in Dresden, on any of the principal streets, 
may be seen, at any hour of the day, women hitched to light 
wagons, doing the work of horses. Usually, a large dog is 
her companion in this bestial labor. Together they draw a 
small, but heavy wagon with loads that seem almost incredi- 
ble. A strap, or, more frequently, a rope, is passed over the 
shoulder, under the arm, and then fastened to the wagon. 
The dog is harnessed much like we harness our horses at 
home, and usually pulls his share quite willingly. Yesterday, 
we saAv a woman and a dog hitched to a wagon filled with 
coal. The woman bent forward pulling, and, it seemed, 
straining every nerve and muscle in her body to drag the 
heavy load, while the dog did his best. The load seemed 
heavy enough for a horse, but they dragged it along nearly as 
fast as we walked. 

It is not an unusual sight to see women carrying coal in- 
to the houses from the streets. They have large baskets, 
holding at least a bushel. They are somewhat narrower and 
deeper than the bushel baskets used in America. Two straps 
or ropes are fastened to them, one end of each at the top, the 
other at the bottom. The baskets are set on stools about two 
feet high, and are then filled with coal. The arms are slip- 
ped through the straps, and then, with these baskets on their 
backs, like beasts of burden, they trudge up four or five 

5 



34 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



flights of stairs. I am fully satisfied that, in this way, they 
very often, carry not far from a hundred pounds of coal. 
Can any one imagine work harder than this ? And yet, the 
most astounding part of the whole business remains to be 
told. They receive for this toilsome, slavish work, the mere 
pittance of fifteen cents per day. 

In America, this sum would not keep them alive; but 
here, by eating black rye bread, and drinking a mug of beer, 
or a cup of coffee, and often only water, they manage to keep 
soul and body together. Wife says her heart aches all the 
time for these poor, wretched women, and it is enough to 
arouse the sympathies of any one to see them. There is no 
hope for them here to better their condition. Born to a life 
of toil, they bear these burdens until they totter and fall in- 
to the grave. Poor once, always poor, is the rule in Ger- 
many. It is not a question with this class as to how much 
of their income can be saved each year, but rather, how can 
we earn enough to ward off the pangs of hunger, and clothe 
ourselves? Is it to be wondered at, that thousands of these 
people cast longing eyes to America, the land of promise to 
them ? And that as many as can, by any means, secure pas- 
sage money, emigrate? At home, I have often wondered at 
the amount of work done by the women of the German fam- 
ilies; but the hardest work they do there, must seem almost 
a life of luxury, to what many of them are compelled to en- 
dure here. 

Perhaps no other city in Europe, of its size, contains so 
many objects of interest as does the city of Dresden. For 
many years it has been the residence of the Kings and Elec- 
tors of Saxony, and these formerly were the wealthiest rulers 
in Europe. They derived most of t their wealth from the sil- 
ver mines at Freiburg, which were, prior to the discovery of 
the precious metals in America, the richest known. Each 



BEAUTIES OP DRESDEN. 



35 



succeeding sovereign added something of interest to the city, 
until now it rivals many of the larger capitals of the Old 
World. Dating back to the 10th century, it has a remarka- 
ble history, covering a period of over 900 years, full of inter- 
est to all who feel interested in the olden time. 

The city is beautifully situated on the Elbe, about 400 
feet above the sea level, in the midst of the Saxony wine- 
growing district. On either side is the beautiful and richly 
cultivated valley of the Elbe. On the hillsides north of the 
river, may be seen a succession of rising vineyards, richly la- 
den with the fruit of the vine, whilst the valley below, with 
its garden-like farms, its green meadows, its fine orchards 
and gardens, the whole studded with beautiful villas, make it 
a most delightful and pleasing scene to look upon. The city 
with its bracing climate enjoys a high reputation as a healthy 
place. A monument has been erected to commemorate the 
fact, that the cholera, which has so often prevailed in Europe 
has never visited Dresden. 

The Elbe is a rapidly flowing stream, and is kept in its 
bed by well-formed banks, paved up to a considerable height 
with cut stone, so that such a thing as malaria is unknown. 
Dresden abounds in beautiful gardens and well-kept parks. 
The "Grosser Garten" or park, is the largest, and affords a 
delightful place in which to take an afternoon walk. Broad 
avenues are to be found, completely covered by the overhang- 
ing branches of the huge chestnut and linden trees, planted 
on either side, and so dense is the foliage that not a ray of 
the noonday sun penetrates it. There are miles and miles of 
these avenues, intersected here and there by foot paths that 
lead to green lawns, bright and rich with beautiful flowers, 
whilst, almost hidden in the shrubbery, nestle lakes of pure, 
clear water, in whose limpid depths may be seen hundreds of 
the most beautiful gold fishes. 



36 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



After spending a day, looking at the works of man, it is 
a positive delight to wander through this park and see how 
beautifully God has decorated this earth. Kings and queens 
may lavishly expend untold sums of money in outward dis- 
play, they may call to their aid the best artists the world can 
produce, and yet not one of them, in all their glory, can be 
so beautifully arrayed as the humblest flower that decks the 
footstool of the Great King of kings. 

During our stay here, we visited many places of interest, 
and many letters might be written describing them, but we 
shall only briefly notiqe a few. The Japanese palace, in 
which there is a museum jjf antiquities, contains many 
thousand specimens, all of which are of great interest. 
Among them may be named specimens of pottery, used by 
the Eomans 200 years before Christ; rings, vases, bronze 
casts, coins, weapons of defense, and many similar articles 
of the same period. We were particularly interested in a 
statue of Diana, of Ephesus. Diana was the goddess of the 
Ephesians, and Paul had to meet the opposition of the silver- 
smith, Demetrius, when he preached Christ to the people of 
Ephesus. It is to be noted, however, that Demetrius was 
more concerned about the money he made by his craft, than 
he was about the principles of religion. Unfortunately, 
many are like Demetrius in the world to-day. The statue 
here is about four feet high, and is finely decorated. 

Among the most interesting objects in the collection, are 
four large tablets or slabs of stone taken from the ancient 
city of Nineveh. Two of them measure each four feet in 
width, and eight feet in length, whilst the other two are each 
nearly seven feet square. On the two smaller tablets are cut 
in bas-relief, the figure of a man after the Assyrian style of 
sculpture. On the two larger are cut two such figures. On 
each tablet is an inscription cut in Assyrian characters. The 



A WONDEBFUL PAINTING. 37 

inscription and figures are clearly cut, all the lines being dis- 
tinctly visible. They were discovered in the excavation made 
at Nineveh, and are placed in the museum. It was the cus- 
tom among the Eomans to burn the bodies of their dead. 
Here are to be seen the vases used to hold the ashes of the 
dead, with inscriptions giving the name, date of birth, and 
death of the deceased. 

Among the most notable collections in Dresden is the 
gallery of oil paintings. It is chiefly to this collection that 
the city owes its greatest distinction. It contains one of the 
most celebrated paintings in the world. It is called the 
"Madonna di San Sisto," and was painted by Eaphael in the 
beginning of the sixteenth century. The subject is the vir- 
gin Mary with the child, Christ, in her arms. Looking at the 
painting one is impressed with the supernatural beauty of 
both mother and child. There is a pure, radiant beauty in 
both faces, that is not of earth. One is drawn towards the 
painting almost irresistibly, and it would almost seem that 
the brain that conceived it, and the hand that painted it must 
have been inspired. It was brought to Dresden in the year 
1754, at a cost of nearly $50,000, and its value now is un- 
known. Besides this there are many other works by the old 
masters, among others those of De Vinci, who painted the 
"Last Supper," with which nearly all are familiar, from the 
many engravings made of it. It represents our Savior and 
twelve apostles seated around the table, eating the Lord's 
Supper. 

We have also had an opportunity to visit the Green 
Vault, in which are stored the valuables belonging to the roy- 
al family. Here are eight large rooms filled with rare and 
costly articles. In one room are kept the crown jewels, dia- 
monds, amethysts, rubies and pearls. This room alone con- 
tains fifteen million dollars in jewels. Among some of the 



38 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

more noted diamonds to be seen here, may be mentioned the 
far-famed green diamond, which weighs one hundred and 
sixty grains. It is a large green brilliant, and is worth an 
immense sum of money. The largest diamonds of the whole 
collection are two white brilliants of the first water, the larg- 
est of which weighs one hundred and ninety-four and a half 
grains. 

In the same case is a sword hilt, in which there are set 
1898 single diamonds; also diamond coat buttons, waistcoat 
buttons, knee buckles, shoe buckles, a large star belonging to 
the Polish order, with a number of pink and yellow brilliants 
of large size. The contents of this one case alone are valued 
at millions of dollars. These diamonds and decorations were 
worn by the kings and queens of Saxony, on festive and great 
state occasions. There are a number of other cases contain- 
ing rich jewels of great value, but our readers can form an 
idea of what is here, by the above descriptions. 

As we looked at the immense amount of wealth stored 
away here in these vaults, used only on great occasions for 
display, and for the decoration of the person; and then 
thought of the thousands of poor women who drag out a mis- 
erable existence in hard and unceasing labor, and who, by 
the most rigid economy, are scarcely able to keep the wolf 
from their door; it seemed to us that here was a system of 
political economy that needed reformation. Is it right and 
just that such conditions should exist? This is a question 
that will thrust itself upon the mind of all thinking people, 
and it is a question of growing importance in our own free 
country, where each year adds to the great wealth of the mil- 
lionaires, whilst the condition of the laboring classes does not 
improve. Shall this question be met fairly and settled ac- 
cording to the law of right and justice, or will we in America, 
continue to sow to the wind, until at last we shall reap the 



SOME OBSEKVATIONS. o\J 

whirlwind of communism, nihilism, socialism and the other 
evils that now threaten the very social existence of some of 
the governments of Europe. 

Our observations, of course, so far, have been entirely 
confined to city life. We are anxious to arrange for a trial 
of country life, so that we can study the customs, the habits, 
and modes of living among the country people. The only 
difficulty in the way, is the inability to use the language, but 
perhaps, in time, this may be overcome. If we thought our 
readers would be interested in descriptions of old castles, col- 
lections of antiquities, and other matters that seem very in- 
teresting to us, we might give them a letter each week; but 
for fear of tiring their patience, we desist. 

At this writing, September 30th, the weather here is de- 
lightful. We have had fire in our room only one day, so far. 
In my next, I may give some further description of Dresden. 
All are well, and barring the longing for friends and home, 
that comes once in a while, we are enjoying our visit very 
much. 



LETTER IIL 



f A Tramp in the Mountains of Saxony. 

ince we first came to Dresden, we have heard so much 
of the picturesque beauty of Saxony-Switzerland, that 
6 W^* we concluded to visit it. It is distant about forty miles 
by rail, and the railroad passes the entire distance along the 
southern banks of the Elbe. Prof. Jenks, two German la- 
dies, Miss Martha Speier and her mother, who are boarding 
in the same family with us, wife and self composed the com- 
pany. 

We left Dresden at 6 o'clock in the morning. It was a 
bright, beautiful September day, and as the train left the city, 
the sun arose and flooded the beautiful valley of the Elbe 
with streams of golden light. It was one of the prettiest 
scenes we ever beheld, and one sees nothing like it in Ameri- 
ca. The vineyards, the orchards, the green meadows, all ra- 
diant with the bright sunlight, — the whole blended into a 
picture that an artist might in vain attempt to transfer to his 
canvas. We reached Konigstein in two hours, all too soon, 
for we could not so soon tire of looking at the delightful pan- 
orama spread out before us. 

Konigstein is a circular hill or mountain, rising to a 
height of about 850 feet. The ascent is very steep; for the 
first 600 feet we had to use steps cut into the rocks ; the rest 
of the way is almost perpendicular. The place is strongly 
fortified, having never been taken, although Napoleon I. tried 
his artillery upon it, but failed to make any impression upon 
this natural fortress. 




KONXGSTEIN. 



41 



After climbing about 650 feet, we came to the first line 
of defence, a strong wall, partly natural, back of which, 
about twenty feet, was cut a trench. This is used by sol- 
diers to defend the heights against storming parties of the 
enemy. Entering a heavy stone archway, we began the as- 
cent to the top of the perpendicular rock, which rises from 
this point, from 150 to 200 feet. The ascent is made by 
means of stairways and inclined planes. Beaching the top, 
we find a comparatively level surface, about one mile in cir- 
cumference, around which is built a heavy wall. 

The interior contains munitions of war, houses and bar- 
ricades for the soldiers. The wall, before alluded to, is built 
even with the outer edge of the rocks. Looking down over 
this wall, one can form an idea of the great strength of the 
fortification; and we were impressed, while walking around 
the top and looking down, far below, almost perpendicularly, 
for 150 to 200 feet, with the utter impossibility of its being 
taken by human power. 

An open well, twenty feet in diameter, and 660 feet deep, 
was dug here in 1543-90, which secures for the fort a never- 
failing supply of pure water. By using a couple of mirrors, 
the sunlight was thrown down into the dark depths below, 
and we saw the rippling water, 600 feet beneath the surface. 
The water is drawn up in barrels by means of steam power 
and an iron cable. As the barrels ascend above the top of 
the well, they are tipped over, and the water is thrown into a 
large tank, from which it is drawn, as it is needed for use. 

The fortification is now used as a state or government 
prison. Many prisoners, under strong guards, were to be 
seen at work. The labor they performed was by no means 
easy. Here, as elsewhere, is shown the truth of the Bible 
saying, "The way of the transgressor is hard." Coming down 
from Konigstein, we took the train for the village of Bathen, 

6 



42 



LETTEES FKOM EUKOPE. 



at the foot of the Bastei, one of the most beautiful and pict- 
uresque mountains in Saxon Switzerland. 

We crossed the Elbe by means of a ferry-boat, and the 
business of climbing the mountain at once began. After half 
an hour's upward toiling, mostly by steps cut into the earth 
and rocks, a point was reached, from which a fine view was 
had of the valley below. From this place up to the top of 
the mountain, and to the point of the highest rock, the scen- 
ery was grand. On every hand one meets with surprises. 
Quaintly-formed rocks, sculptured by the hand of nature in- 
to fantastic shapes, were to be seen on every side. The rock 
is sand-stone, and is worn away in places, forming deep and 
precipitous precipices, many hundred feet deep. The scen- 
ery here reminds one somewhat of the Colorado mountains, 
only, however, in the peculiar shapes of the rocks; for, in 
grandeur and extent, it is no more to be compared with the 
Kockies, than Lake Michigan is to the Atlantic Ocean. 

High up on the mountain, an arched bridge has been 
thrown across, from the pinnacle of one rock to that of an- 
other. From this bridge, a grand view is had, of the rocks 
and hills to the left. Looking down to a depth of four or five 
hundred feet, upon the thick forest of pines below, a beauti- 
ful view is presented, and well worth the weary steps taken to 
reach it. After another climb, the top is reached; and here 
is one of the most delightful views to be seen anywhere. We 
stand on the edge of the rock — around which an iron railing 
has been built, to prevent accidents — and look out upon the 
beautiful landscape spread all about us, studded with villag- 
es, groves, and well-cultivated farms, the beautiful Elbe flow- 
ing swiftly along, 800 feet below, reaching like a silver chain 
far up and down the valley. 

Konigstein, with its strongly fortified height, and, far- 
ther away, the high mountains of Bohemia, by which the 



THE BASTEI. 



43 



view is bounded on the north-west, gives ns a picture that, 
once seen, will not soon be forgotten. Those of our readers 
who have stood on the top of Mi Morris College, will remem- 
ber what a delightful view one gets of the surrounding coun- 
try from that point. This reminded us somewhat of that, in 
its picturesque beauty; this however, far exceeding that in 
extent and general interest. 

From the top of the Bastei, we went down in an opposite 
direction from that by which we ascended. The pathway 
leads through deep gorges, the rocks rising on either side to 
the height of several hundred feet, and so narrow that the 
rays of the sun never reach the ground. The "Felsen Thor" 
(Eocky Gateway) is formed by two walls of rocks, rising 
nearly perpendicularly, only a few feet apart, to a considera- 
ble height. Two large pieces of the rock have fallen into 
this gorge from the top, and are securely wedged between 
the rocky walls a few feet from the bottom, forming a rocky 
gateway up the valley. 

We finally reached the village at the foot of the mount- 
ain, after a long walk ; from here we rode down the Elbe on a 
steamboat, enjoying fully the beauties of this most delightful 
valley. We reached Dresden at 6 o'clock, pretty well tired 
out. Upon reckoning up the distances, we were surprised to 
find that we had walked or climbed nearly ten miles during 
the day. Wife stood the long walk very well; and as for the 
German ladies, they are wonderful walkers, and seem never 
to get tired. On the whole, we were all well pleased with 
our tramp in Saxon Switzerland. 

The City of Prague. 

One hundred miles from Dresden is the ancient city of 
Prague, the home of John Huss, who was burned at the stake 
on account of his religious views. He adopted and preached 
the doctrine of primitive Christianity, as held by the Wal- 



44 



LETTEES FROM EUROPE, 



denses. Thinking that our readers might be interested in a 
letter concerning these matters, we concluded to visit the city 
and learn what we could of the life and labors of this great 
reformer, and advocate of primitive Christianity. 

South of Saxony lies Bohemia, a province of the Empire 
of Austria, It contains, over five million inhabitants, and is 
one of the largest and most important States of the Empire. 
Austria formed, at one time, a part of the Roman Empire, 
and has, with its several provinces, an exceedingly interest- 
ing history. No part of it, however, is so interesting as is 
that of Bohemia, and especially that part relating to its an- 
cient capital, and the former residence of the Kings of Bo- 
hemia, the City of Prague. It is distant from Dresden, in 
a south easterly direction, by railroad, about one hundred 
miles. 

Our trip to Prague was made one of sight-seeing. The 
city is very old, and full of interesting objects. Its prin- 
cipal object of interest to us, however, was the home of the 
martyr of primitive Christianity, John Huss. Here at 
Prague, he spent many years of his life, preaching and teach- 
ing the doctrine of the Gospel, as held and believed by the 
ancient Walclenses, and for his faith, and firm refusal to 
give it up, he was burned alive, in the year 1415. 

We shall first, however, give a brief description of the 
old city, and of what interested us there, leaving an account 
of Huss, his labors, and his cruel death for the present. 

Prague contains about 200,000 inhabitants, divided re- 
ligiously, about as follows: 160,000 Catholics, 25,000 Jews, 
15,000 Protestants, and a few communicants of the Greek 
Church. It contains 56 Catholic churches, 30 cloisters, 22 
Jewish synagogues, 3 Protestant and one Greek church. It 
will be seen from these figures that the great majority of the 
population is Catholic. 



THE CITY OF PRAGUE. 40 

The city stands on both sides of the river Moldau, (one 
of the chief tributaries of the Elbe), in a beautiful and fer- 
tile valley. From the banks of the river, the hills ascend rap- 
idly, and the buildings rise tier after tier, as they recede from 
the water's brink. Standing on the top of the hill one looks 
down upon the houses below, presenting a novel and pictur- 
esque scene. 

The river flows through the city, and is crossed by a cel- 
ebrated stone bridge, began some time in the 14th, and fin- 
ished in the 16th century. It is nearly two thousand feet 
long, and has at each end two lofty towers, through which 
are the entrances to the bridge. On either side are fourteen 
statues, representing different saints of the Eomish Church. 
Near the centre of the bridge is a large crucifix, and also a 
bronze statue of St. John Nepomuk, who was drowned in the 
river by order of King Wencislaus, for his refusal to betray 
the secrets intrusted to him by the Queen in the confession- 
al. Five golden stars mark the spot where his body was 
found. In the cathedral of St. Vitus, not far from the bridge, 
we were shown a gorgeous silver shrine, of the most exqui- 
site workmanship, said to contain nearly four thousand 
pounds of pure silver. In this shrine, incased in a rare and 
costly silver and crystal coffin, are the mortal remains of St. 
John. Around about the shrine are a number of silver lamps 
which are kept constantly burning. 

Early in the eighteenth century this man was canonized, 
or made a saint of, by the Catholic Church, and since that 
time he has been known as St. John Nepomuk. From the 
peculiar circumstances of his death, he has become the pa- 
tron saint of all bridges in Catholic countries. This incident 
is related somewhat at length, so that a contrast may be 
drawn later, between the regard shown this priest, and that 
shown to another man who suffered death as a martyr. Our 



4:6 



LETTERS FBOM EUROPE. 



readers may draw the contrast when they read our next let- 
ter. 

In the Cathedral we were shown many wonderful, and 
so-called sacred relics. The priest who shows you around, 
points out some of the bones of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, a 
-piece of the true cross, the handkerchief of the Virgin Mary, 
and many others, equally as wonderful, and as difficult of be- 
lief. One may go into almost any of these old Catholic Ca- 
thedrals in Europe, and find a great abundance of sacred 
relics, and if you happen to express a doubt as to their being 
just exactly what is claimed for them, it is taken as an un- 
pardonable piece of sacrilege. One does not know which to 
be the most surprised at, the great veneration in which they 
are held by the church, and the great care with which they 
are guarded, or the simplicity of the native priest, who will 
tell you with great earnestness and apparent good faith, that 
there can be no doubt about the genuineness of these relics. 

In the floor of the main room of the Cathedral are many 
marble blocks, inscribed with the names of old kings and no- 
blemen, who lived and died many hundred years ago. It 
seemed strange, indeed, to stand in this old room, the resting- 
place of those who were actors on the stage of life, five hun- 
dred years ago. 

From the Cathedral we visited the castle and the old 
palace of the kings. The palace is only remarkable for its 
great size, and we did not find it especially interesting. In 
the old castle, built hundreds of years ago, we gained access 
to the old prison vaults. They were interesting, inasmuch as 
they showed some of the methods of punishment used in the 
dark ages, when ignorance and superstition covered Europe, 
as the waters cover the face of the mighty deep. 

Entering a narrow doorway, built around with solid ma- 
sonry, from the frame of which hung an iron door, that was 



THE OLD PRISON. 



47 



eaten full of holes by the rust of centuries, we went down a 
dark, narrow stone stairway, just wide enough to allow one to 
pass at a time, the stone steps of which were worn down deep 
in the centre, by the tread of many feet. Going down twen- 
ty steps, we landed in a large, dungeon-like cell, dark, clamp 
and gloomy. A few straggling rays of light admitted by a 
crevice in the wall, gave the place a weird and ghost-like ap- 
pearance. Here in this darkness and gloom, without a sin- 
gle ray of hope for escape, men were kept in confinement for 
years. 

We descend another flight of stone steps, worn like the 
first, only darker and gloomier. We grope our way down 
with careful step, until we reach the dark dungeon below. 
Here, it was so dark that the guide had to light candles, so 
that we might see the size of the cell that we were in. It 
was a large room, octagon in shape, about thirty feet in diam- 
eter, and probably twelve feet high. On one side of the dun- 
geon we found ourselves in a small compartment with only 
room for two persons. Near the floor was a small hole, 
through which we could see the glimmer of the guide's can- 
dle in the dungeon. Examining this closely, it was found to 
be a sort of fire-place, the hearth being on the opposite side 
of the wall, in the dungeon. The use of this small room at 
once became apparent. The victim was thrust in, and the 
door closed and barred after him. On the hearth a little fire 
was kindled with green wood. Through the aperture the 
smoke found its way into the dark chamber, and the sufferer 
was thus slowly smoked to death, his agonies being often 
prolonged several days. This was called the Eauchen Sier- 
ben. 

In the center of the dungeon is to be seen a circular wall 
raised above the floor about two feet and perhaps three feet 
in diameter. On the top of this a heavy plank was laid. 



43 



LETTEES ERQM EUROPE. 



Removing the plank, a hole was seen, much resembling the 
mouth of our cisterns in Illinois. A number of lighted can- 
dles were lowered into this excavation, and looking down we 
saw what is best described by the word cistern. It was about 
fifteen feet deep and twelve feet in diameter, securely walled 
and arched over at the top, giving it a jug-like form. While 
wondering of what use a cistern could be, down in the depths 
of this dark dungeon, we were told that this was called the 
Hunger Sterben (Hungry Death). Down into this dark 
hole, men in the vigor of manhood, and of physical health 
were placed, and left to die of starvation in darkness and de- 
spair. One can scarcely imagine a more horrible death. 

We came up out of the noisome dungeon into the sun- 
light of God's beautiful day, glad to escape from these evi- 
dences of human suffering and of "Man's inhumanity to man." 
Breathing again the fresh, pure air of Heaven, we tried to 
shake off the impressions that the dungeon with its terrible 
associations had left on the mind, which clung to us like a 
horrible nightmare. 

We felt like thanking God that we are living in an age 
when such things are impossible; in an age when education 
and religious liberty have so far elevated the nature of men 
that such cruelties are no longer practiced. The question 
comes at once to the mind, What agency has produced this 
great change? The only answer that we can find to this 
question is contained in a single word, and that word is, ed- 
ucation. Of course in the use of this word, it is to be under- 
stood in its broadest sense. It implies not only the educa- 
tion of the head, but of the heart also; — not only the mental 
faculties, but the moral as well. A man can only be fully 
what God intended him to be when all the faculties with 
which he is endowed are fully developed. No one will be 
excused on the score of ignorance, who has not used all rea- 



THE CAROLINUM. 



49 



sonable means to become enlightened. The talent hid in the 
earth must be accounted for. 

From the Old Castle with its Hunger Thiirm, we visited 
the Jewish quarters of the city. The streets are extremely 
narrow and very filthy. The day, October 2nd, was the Jew- 
ish New Year, which is a great feast-day for them. Places 
of business were all closed, and the narrow streets were 
thronged with children whose sparkling black eyes and hap- 
py faces told of the annual holiday that they were enjoying. 

This is the oldest part of the city. We visited an old 
synagogue built in the 8th century. It is still used by the 
Jews for worship, and on every hand one sees evidences of 
its great age. In the midst of this quarter of the city is the 
old Jewish Cemetery. It is well worth a visit; many of its 
old tombs date back 1500 years. It is very large, and every 
available foot of ground in the enclosure is covered with 
graves, so that it is no longer used for burying purposes. 

The next place of interest is the Carolinum, remarkable 
as the first great public school in Germany. This university 
was established in 1350, and it was here that John Huss, who 
was then a Professor of Divinity in the university, espoused 
the doctrines of the Waldenses, and here he preached with 
great eloquence and power, the principles of primitive Chris- 
tianity. At one period during the time that Huss was here, 
there were many thousand students in attendance, some au- 
thorities placing the number as high as forty thousand. 
They came from all parts of Europe, and when the discus- 
sions waxed warm between the reformer and the Eomish 
Church, a number of the students seceded and founded the 
universities of Heidelberg and Leipzig. About fifteen thou- 
sand, however, adopted the doctrines of Huss and remained 
with him. It was on the doors of this university that Huss 
nailed his challenge to defend his doctrines in public discus- 

7 



50 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

sion, against all comers. The original writing with his auto- 
graph is to be seen in the Library. 

The interest that one feels in visiting these old places in 
Europe, is apt to become too intense, and the writer, in de- 
scribing places and objects visited, may fall into the very 
natural mistake of thinking, that his readers will take the 
same interest in the subject that he does. Every one who 
has tried to describe places of interest, knows how impossi- 
ble it is, to transfer the feelings to paper, and how tame the 
best description reads when compared with what one feels 
when standing before the object itself. Many vivid descrip- 
tions of Eocky Mountain scenery have been written, but no 
one ever realizes the grandeur of the old Eockies, until he 
visits them. The fact that a writer may make this mistake 
and so tire his readers by long descriptions, is thrown in here 
as a kind of an excuse, for the writer feels that he is now fall- 
ing into the same error. 

On the hills in the rear of the Palace are the Laurenzi- 
burg Heights, where, in ancient times, the native Pagans cel- 
ebrated the rites of fire worship. At the foot of these heights, 
on one of the terraces which surround the palace, stand two 
obelisks, marking the spot where, in 1618, the Imperial Com- 
missioners, with their Secretary, who had been sent to Prague 
with the most intolerant edicts against the Protestants were 
indignantly thrown out of the windows of the palace on the 
rocks below, by the deputies of the Kingdom of Bohemia. 
This was the beginning of the Thirty Years' War, which, by 
the peace of Westphalia in 1648, secured the religious liber- 
ty of Germany and the tolerance of the Protestant religion. 

The Raih-haus (Senate-house) is an old building and a 
place of great interest, owing to its antiquity and its historic- 
al associations. During the Hussite troubles, (brought on by 
the burning of Huss at the stake) 1416-24, the mob entered 



CHUBCHES OF PRAGUE. Ol 

the council- chamber and threw the counselors out of the win- 
dows on the spears and pikes of the rabble below. The old 
chamber with its paved floor, worn by the tread of many feet, 
and its old oaken tables and chairs, remains as was left 
nearly 500 years ago. The tables and chairs have been liter- 
ally honeycombed by the worms, and everything in and about 
the room bears evidence of great age. 

Looking out of the window to the ground, fifty or sixty 
feet below, we shuddered at the thought of being pitched out 
headlong, as were the old counselors. This method of dis- 
posing of objectionable law makers and commissioners seems 
to have been a common one among the Bohemians, and it is 
only fair to suppose, that in those days the rush for office and 
official position in the government was. not so great as it is 
now. Politicians would, without doubt, choose the humbler 
walks of life, when the possibility of a fate like this, at the 
hands of an enraged constituency, was kept before them. 

Among the numerous churches in Prague, the most not- 
ed are the "Tkein Kirche" and the "Huss Kirche." The for- 
mer contains the grave of Tycho Brahe, the great astrono- 
mer. Here also were buried the heads and hands of the 
Protestants who were killed at the battle of White Hill, after 
they were taken down from the tower gate, where they had 
been nailed to appease the wrath of the Emperor Ferdinand. 

Our next visit was to the church where John Huss 
preached, and the house in which he lived for many years. 
The church was built in the 12th century; it is very large, 
and on every hand are to be seen evidences of its great age. 
As we walked down the aisle to the altar, a priest was saying 
mass. Kneeling in front of the altar, and before crucifixes in 
different parts of the church, were a number of nuns repeat- 
ing prayers and counting their beads, whilst in the main body 
of the church, a number of devotees were reading the brevia- 



52 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



ry; and we thought, how different from this was the scene 
presented here, when Huss, with his burning eloquence, ex- 
posed the corruptions of Eome to thousands of eager listen- 
ers, who nocked to hear him from all parts of Europe ! Even 
his enemies came to listen and many of them were convicted 
and converted. 

After spending a short time in the church, we went to 
the house in which the great reformer lived whilst in the city 
of Prague. It is an old two-story house, \\ ith steep roof and 
pointed gables, covered, as are most of the houses here, with 
tiles. The house has every appearance of being very old, yet 
it is kept in a good state of repair. Under an archway at the 
end of the house is a tablet set in the wall and painted black. 
In the center of the tablet is a block of marble, about one 
foot square, containing the following inscription in the Bo- 
hemian language: 

' ' Pam d Ukas-dom u. v. nemz hydlel Mister Jan Huss Co 
kazatle letleuske kaple." 

Our. guide gave us the following translation : "A souvenir 
of Mr. John Huss, taken from his chapel." The tablet or 
block of stone was taken from Bethlehem chapel, where he 
preached, and set into the wall here. And this is the on- 
ly monument to the memory of John Huss, to be found in 
the old city. We visited other places of interest, but enough 
of Prague and its wonders. 

This letter is written at Halle, where we are now com- 
fortably settled for Winter. Besides ourselves, there are, so 
far as we know, three Americans in the city. We meet to- 
gether on Saturday evenings, read a chapter in the Bible, and 
spend some time in studying and discussing Bible topics. 
The rest of the week we are under penalty to speak to each 
other only in German, and the result is, that our conversa- 
tion is somewhat limited. The weather here is delightful; 



PLEASANT CLIMATE. ^ 

we have had, at this writing, October 20th, no frost, and since 
in Halle, we have had fire in our rooms only twice. Health 
is good, and we stand our isolation from home and friends, 
as well as could be expected. 



/ 



LETTER IV. 



The Life and Death of Huss. 
N an age when the ignorance of the great mass of the 
people was universal, when common schools were un- 
known, and perhaps unthought of, when only the rich 
V and the noble coulcl secure even a limited education, 
when priest and churchman ruled supreme over the con- 
sciences of their flocks, when proscription and persecution 
had almost entirely silenced opposition to the edicts of Rome, 
when the ' Waldenses — the only sect in all Europe to raise a 
feeble cry against the corruptions of the church — were hunt- 
ed down to death as men hunt ravenous wild beasts, when 
the nickering light of primitive Christianity had almost dis- 
appeared from among men; in this dark age of ignorance and 
superstition, there arose a man in the city of Prague, in the 
only school in all Germany, whose name will ever be held in 
honor and reverence by all Protestant Christianity. 

John Huss was born in the year 1369, on the 6th day of 
July, in the little village of Husinetz, in the south of Bohem- 
ia. The house in which he was born is still standing, and is 
kept in repair by the subscription of patriotic Bohemians 
and admirers of Huss. Of his early history but little is 
known. It is said that he received an elementary education 
in the cloister, at the hands of a monk, and that he very 
early showed great ability as a student. 

His parents were very poor and he was thrown upon his 
own resources for securing an education. In his youth he 
entered the school at Prague, where he supported himself by 
singing, and performing such services in the church as he 



JOHN HUSS. 00 

could find to do. One hundred years later Martin Luther, 
following in the foot-steps of Huss, supported himself while 
securing an education, by singing, and begging from door to 
door. 

At the University in Prague he soon won a reputation 
for scholarship and piety. In his writings, speaking of 
wicked people who lead others from the paths of virtue, he 
makes use of the following forcible illustration: "These are 
the devil's spoons, by means of which he devours others, but 
when he has done devouring others with the spoon, he eats 
the spoon also; as, when I was a poor scholar, I used to make 
a spoon of a piece of bread till I had done eating my pease- 
porridge, and then I ate the spoon." 

By close application to his studies, he soon passed from 
the lower school into the University of Prague. This occur- 
red in the year 1391, and he pursued his studies with so 
much diligence, that in 1393, he received the degree of Bach- 
elor of Arts. One year later, the records of the University 
show that the degree of Bachelor of Theology was conferred 
upon him, and in 1396, that of Magister. He now became a 
Professor- of Divinity, and, by his indefatigable labor and in- 
dustrious habits, he became one of the most eminent scholars 
of his age. Such was his reputation among his co- laborers, 
that on the 14th of March, 1402, he was, at the age of thirty- 
three, elected Bector, or President of the University. 

During the time he labored as a teacher in the school, he 
took the orders of, and was regularly ordained as a priest in 
the Catholic Church. His great piety and the singular puri- 
ty of his life, in an age of corruption, gave him an enviable 
reputation as a minister. Thousands of students, from all 
parts of Europe, came to hear this godly man eloquently dis- 
course upon the themes of salvation. He soon became dis- 
satisfied with the apparent hollowness and corruption of the 



56 LETTEES FKOM EUEOPE, 

practices of the established church, and determined to re- 
form some of the most apparent abuses. So long as he did 
his work in the University, and preached in defense of the 
doctrines of the church, all was well, but when he began to 
expose the corruptions by which he was surrounded, his per- 
secutions began. 

About the time he began teaching in the University, the 
works of Wycliffe fell into his hands. "He saw in Wycliffe's 
writings the same energetic zeal for reform in the church 
that he felt himself, and in which he was encouraged by the 
example of his worthy precursors in his own country. So 
convinced was he of the excellence of Wycliffe's work and 
writings, that once in the presence of the archbishop, he is 
said to have exclaimed, that he hoped his soul would be 
where that of Magister John Wycliffe's was." So far as the 
opinions of the great English reformer agreed with his own 
ideal of primitive Christianity, and the purification of the 
church, he adopted them, and used them both in his teach- 
ing and preaching. 

The priests with whom Huss came in contact were, for the 
most part, ignorant and corrupt. One cannot read the histo- 
ry of the times of Huss without feeling that such a state of 
things as then existed could only have been maintained and 
practiced by the aid of ignorance and superstition. As an 
evidence of this, in 1403, Zybnek, of Hassenburg, was elected 
Archbishop of Bohemia, and it is said that he learned the al- 
phabet after his elevation to the high office. It was at this 
time that Huss raised his voice against the sale of indulgences 
and the deception practiced by the exhibition of false relics. 

In one place in Bohemia was exhibited what was claim- 
ed to be the natural blood of Christ, which, of course, was 
represented as having supernatural power. Thousands of 
pilgrims flocked to Wittenberg to see the wonder, and the 



JOHN HUSS. 57 

priests reaped a rich harvest from the credulity of the pil- 
grims. Speaking of the sale of indulgences at this time, a 
writer says: 

"The Papal Commissioner, Tiem, carried on his traffic, 
in God's mercy, in a manner best suited to obtain the largest 
and most certain gains. To make the matter easier, he farm- 
ed out entire archdeaconries and deaneries, or individual 
churches, to priests who took contracts under him, paying 
him fixed sums and making what they could out of the indul- 
gences afterward." 

The priests boasted that they had the power to forgive 
sin. They took money for hearing confessions, and gave 
their priestly benediction, and absolutions on easy terms to 
those who were able to pay large sums of money. It was 
held out to the people that by the payment of money they 
might purchase forgiveness of sins for their dead friends. 
The great reformer, however, earnestly warned his hear- 
ers against these false doctrines, and declared to them that 
salvation came only by genuine repentance, by a holy life, by 
"loving God above everything, and one's neighbor as one's 
self." In speaking of this he said: "Kobbers and usurers, 
and other wicked acquirers of wealth, do greatly deceive 
themselves in thinking to please God by getting much, wick- 
edly, and giving a little to the poor and endowing altars and 
chapels. He who gives a single half-penny for God's ser- 
vice, while alive and well, profits his soul more than if, after 
death, he were to give as much gold as would reach from 
earth to heaven. He who endures one contrary word, profits 
his soul more than if he were to break as many rods on his 
back as could grow in the largest forest. He who humbles 
himself to the meanest man, profits his soul, more than if 
he were to go on pilgrimages from one end of the world to 
the other. He who sheds one tear for his sins, profits his 

8 



58 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

soul more than if, after death, he were to weep till two rivers 
flowed from his eyes. He who holds the Lord God dearer 
than all creation, profits the soul more than if the Mother of 
God, with all the saints, were to intercede for him." 

This language shows how forcibly the teacher could ex- 
press himself when occasion required it. He eloquently de- 
nounced the corruptions, the licentiousness, and the wicked- 
ness of many of the clergy, and about this time (1407), de- 
fended publicly the doctrine of Wycliffe, and that held by 
the Waldenses. He labored long and faithfully, and with 
great earnestness to reform the abuses that had crept into 
the church, but corruption, the love of wealth, and of power, 
had too strong a hold for him. The time had not yet come 
for the reformation. And then, was he not attacking the 
very business whereby not only priest, but Bishop and Pope 
as well, enriched themselves, and brought great gain to the 
craft? And they, like Demetrius, raised a hue and cry 
against him, which was only quieted, when his pure life went 
out, amidst the flames of the martyr's stake. He finally took 
a decided stand against the church of Eome, and proclaiming 
his appeal to Christ as the head of the church, he said: "I 
term the doctrine of Christ's apostles apostolic commands, 
and so far as the commands of the Pope of Eome agree with 
that doctrine and these commands, I am willing to obey them 
gladly; but when I see the contrary, I shall not obey, even if 
ye place before me fire to consume my body!" 

There could be no mistaking this language. It pro- 
claimed his purpose to obey God rather than man. 

Pew of us can, at this time, fully realize what a step of 
this kind meant. We sometimes hear men speak of perse- 
cution on account of their faith, but the word has lost its 
meaning. We live in an age of enlightenment, of civil and 
religious liberty, vouchsafed to us by universal education, 



JOHN HUSS. 

and for a man to speak of being persecuted in these days, is 
for him to show that he is either begging for sympathy, or 
that he does not understand the term he uses. 

For Hnss, this change of doctrine meant a most cruel 
and bloody persecution. It meant torture and death by the 
most horrible suffering; it meant treachery on the part of his 
enemies, of the darkest dye, but in the face of all this, he re- 
mained firm and true to his convictions of right. He preach- 
ed the Gospel of Jesus to sinners with such power, and the 
Lord blessed his labors to such an extent, that many thou- 
sands were convinced of their sins, and turned away from 
them. 

His preaching brought to Prague many young men who 
came to learn of him, and listen to his eloquent words. A 
collision with the power of Eome was inevitable. He was at 
once excommunicated as a heretic, and was cited to appear 
before the Council at Constance, to answer before the tribu- 
nal of the church. A safe conduct was given him by Sigis- 
mund, King of Eome and Hungary, and the promise was 
made that he should be conducted safely home again. This 
pledge was basely violated, and this act of perfidy afterward 
cost Sigismund his throne. 

Huss was, soon after his arrival in Constance, arrested 
by order of the Pope (who had also given his word and 
promise in the words that Huss, "even if he had killed the 
Pope's own brother, should have safe conduct back to 
Prague"), and thrown into one of the dark dungeons of a 
tower prison. Here he suffered so much from the unwhole- 
some air, that he was taken sick with a fever, and his life of 
suffering seemed about to end, when he was removed from 
the dungeon, and recovered from the disease. 

In his dark prison cell, he still trusted in God, and 
wrote to his friends in hopeful words: "The Lord who deliv- 



60 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



ered Jonah from the whale's belly, Daniel from the months 
of the lions, the three Hebrew children from the fiery fur- 
nace, and Susanna from the judgment of the false witnesses, 
can also, if it please him, to the glory of his name, by his 
word, proclaim me free again." 

Whilst yet weak and debilitated from the effects of his 
sickness, brought on by his cruel and treacherous imprison- 
ment, he was brought before the Council, and placed on trial 
for heresy. He was charged with teaching false doctrines, 
with having written heretical books, and the council, after 
hearing his eloquent defence, unable to withstand his argu- 
ments, condemned him to be burned to death at the stake, as 
a heretic. 

He was given an opportunity by the Council to recant, 
and on the first of July, a commission of eight from the 
Council, entered his prison cell and demanded a final answer 
from him. He replied in writing, and said he was willing to 
call back anything that he had written or taught, that was 
erroneous, but for fear of perjuring himself, and for fear of 
condemning the truth, he could not abjure or recant. 

Many efforts were made by his enemies to have him re- 
cant, and confess himself in error. The promise of full for- 
giveness and future advancement was held out to him; every 
argument that priestly ingenuity could invent, was in vain 
tried upon him, but he was firm and immovable. 

The sufferings and torture of a death by fire could not 
move him; with an abiding faith in God, that never wavered, 
even in the midst of flames, and a firm conviction of the 
truth of the doctrines as he had preached them, in the very 
prime of his full mental and physical powers, he walked, 
with a firm step, and unfaltering purpose, to the stake. He 
was followed by an immense throng. These he exhorted to 
lead godly lives and to flee from sin. 



JOHN HUSS. 



61 



When the final sentence of heresy was read to him, and 
he was condemned to suffer death at the stake, he knelt down 
and prayed for his enemies, saying with a loud voice, "Lord 
Jesus Christ, pardon all my enemies, 1 pray thee, for the 
sake of thy great mercy. Thou,knowest that they have false- 
ly accused me, brought forward false witnesses, and concoct- 
ed false articles against me. Pardon for the sake of thy in- 
finite mercy." His enemies stood by, mocking, and received 
his earnest prayers with scorn and derision. 

After degrading him, they placed on his head a paper 
crown, bearing the inscription "This is an heretic." When 
this was done, Huss said: "My Lord Jesus Christ, for my 
sake, wretch that I am, deigned guiltless to bear a much 
harder and more grievous crown of thorns to a most shame- 
ful death; therefore I, wretch and sinner that I am, am will- 
ing, humbly to bear this much lighter, though blasphemous 
one, for his name and the truth's sake." 

As they neared the place of execution, the crowd was 
forbidden to follow further, and so, surrounded by a band of 
soldiers, he reached the' stake, where he became a martyr to 
the cause of true Christianity. He was burned on his birth- 
day, July 6th, 1415, in a meadow near Constance. The fol- 
lowing description of his last suffering and death is translat- 
ed from the "Geschichte Boehmische Reformation," and is 
literal : 

"As they approached the place of execution, Huss turn- 
ed to his guards, and thanking them for their kindness to 
him, said, 'Ye have been as dear brethren to me, and not as 
watchers; know ye, then, that I remain firm in my holy faith, 
and that in his great name I will bear this kind of a death, 
with the full trust and confidence that this day I shall be 
with -him in his glory.' 



62 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

"This he spoke in German, after which the executioners 
took him and bound him to the stake, (having removed part 
of his clothing; his feet being manacled, his boots were not 
removed,) with seven clamp cords. A heavy, rusty chain was 
thrown around his neck and the stake. When he saw this, 
he said, ' 'My Lord Jesus Christ bore a much heavier bond 
for me; wherefore shall not I, poor and sinful as I am, in 
his holy name, bear even this ?' 

"He was turned with his face towards the East. Some 
who stood by said, that it was not meet that an heretic should 
be burned facing the East, and at their request, he was turn- 
ed around to face the West. Then two bundles of wood were 
placed under his feet, and around about him they built wood 
and straw up to his neck, and poured pitch upon it. Before 
the pile was lighted, the King's marshal rode up and offered 
to save his life if he would recant and confess errors. Huss 
replied in a loud voice: 

" 'What errors shall I call back? I do not know of any, 
I call God to witness that what the false witnesses have 
brought against me I have not taught or preached, but that 
it was only my purpose, in all my preaching and in all my 
academic work and writings, to turn men from their sins, and 
in this truth and for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for the 
preaching of these holy doctrines, will I this day gladly suf- 
fer this death.' Upon this, the marshal and the lords struck 
their hands together and rode away. 

"The executioners now at once lighted the fagots. Huss 
sang in the midst of the flames once and again: 'Christ, thou 
Son of the living God, thou who wast born of the Yirgin Ma- 
ry, have mercy upon me.' As he was repeating this the third 
time, a draft of wind blew the flame into his face and the 
smoke and flame stopped his speech. Yet, for some time, he 
was seen to bow his head, and his lips moved as long it would 



JOHN HUSS. ^3 



take one to repeat the Lord's prayer two or three times, and 
then he departed, praying for himself. 

"As the wood burned down, one could see the body 
hanging to the stake by the chain. The executioner thrust 
the body down from the stake, more wood was heaped around 
so that an end might be made of the burning. The bones 
were broken, the skull split open, so that they might the eas- 
ier be reduced to ashes. The heart was taken out of the 
body, a spear thrust through it, and so it was held in the fire 
until it was consumed. The paper crown which the wind 
had blown to one side, was also thrown into the fire and 
burned. 

"The executioners had held back Huss' mantle, thinking 
to keep it for themselves. As the Count noticed this, he or- 
dered them to throw it into the fire, saying that if the Bo- 
hemians got this, they would make a holy thing of it. At 
the same time, he promised the executioners a sum of money. 

"So was Huss, and all that he had with him in Constance, 
burned with fire, and the ashes that lay around the stake 
were carefully gathered together, with some of the earth, 
placed on a wheelbarrow, and thrown into the Biver Ehine, 
so that not even a particle of his dust might remain on the 
earth. But Huss' Bohemian friends held the spot where 
their dearest friend and teacher had suffered, as a holy place. 
As Aeneas Sylvius relates (Hist. Bohemia, p. 36), 'They 
dug up the earth where the fire had burned their noble 
Christian leader, and carried it with them as a holy relic to 

their homes.' " 

Such was the end of a spotless life, spent in the service 
of God and in the cause of truth. The truth was crushed to 
the ground only to rise again; Jerome of Prague following in 
the footsteps of his teacher, Huss, was burned in the succeed- 
ing year. Then began a bloody persecution of the Hussites, 



64 



LETTERS FEOM EUEOPE. 



which finally resulted in the Hussite war, in which Bohemia 
subdued Sigismund, but was finally overpowered by the com- 
bined power of Some. The embers of the Keformation, how- 
ever, only smouldered, and a hundred years later, burst into 
a flame, under the teachings of Martin Luther, which soon 
spread over all Germany, arid which ended in the grand re- 
sults with which all are familiar. 



LETTER V. 



The Luther Anniversary— Luther's Work— 
a. Religion in Germany. 

^^aturday, November 10th, 1883, the four hundredth an- 
|!|||t niversary of Martin Luther's birthday, was celebrated 
e ^^ 5 in all Protestant Germany, as a great national "Eest" 
Day. In every city, village, and hamlet of the great reform- 
er's Vaterland, the day was notably celebrated; religious ser- 
vices were held in the churches, and civic processions parad- 
ed the streets. All Germany put on a holiday garb, and re- 
joicing and thanksgiving were the order of the day. 

The Emperor had, by royal proclamation, issued early in 
the summer, set apart the 10th and 11th days of November, 
as days of thanksgiving and festival. This action of the Em- 
peror was followed by many of the reigning princes. So, to- 
day, United Germany does honor to the Erfurt monk, and 
well may the Germans be proud of Luther and of his great 
work. In our last letter, we gave some account of the life 
and work of John Huss, and as we are now living near the 
home of Luther, we have concluded to devote a letter to some 
facts relative to the life and labors of the great German Re- 
former. 

As the University at Prague gave to the world a John 
Huss, so, too, the University of Wittenberg gave it a Luther. 
Huss was the forerunner of the latter, and there is a remark- 
able similarity in their lives. Both were priests in the Cath- 
olic Church; both first raised their voices against the corrupt 
practice of selling papal indulgences ; both were excommuni- 



66 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

cated by the Pope, as heretics, and both were cited and ap- 
peared before an imperial council. 

But here the similarity ceases. Hnss, through the per- 
fidy of his enemies, as we have seen, was burned at the stake 
as a heretic. Luther was allowed to return to his friends, 
simply because Charles Y. of Germany, refused to violate 
his word, and the safe conduct he had given. He, no doubt, 
remembered that his brother Sigismund had, by a similar 
act of perfidy with Huss, lost the throne of Bohemia, and he 
determined to profit by his brother's experience, and so re- 
fused to violate his word. 

Martin Luther was born November 10th, 1483, at Eisle- 
ben, in Saxony, a small town near the eastern border of the 
Hartz Mountain district. His father was a miner, and dur- 
ing Luther's childhood, he moved with his family to Mans- 
field, where he engaged in mining. At the age of fourteen, 
Luther left his home to enter a mendicant school at Magde- 
burg. Here he studied, and begged his living by singing 
from door to door, glad to accept any pittance that the char- 
itably disposed might be willing to give him. 

In 1498, he wandered to Eisenach, where he continued 
his studies, and lived as he had done at Magdeburg, on char- 
ity. Speaking of this in later years, when surrounded by 
wealth and influential friends, he said, "Let no one in my 
presence speak contemptuously of the poor fellows, who go 
from door to door, singing and begging bread. I myself was 
a poor mendicant, seeking my bread at people's houses, par- 
ticularly at Eisenach, my own dear Eisenach." These words 
show that success in temporal affairs did not make him for- 
get the poor. 

His father, at this time, met with so much success in his 
mining operations, that he was enabled to support his son, 
and he determined to have him become a lawyer. Luther 



MAETIN LUTHEE. 



67 



studied with, this object in view for a time, but suddenly, in 
1505, on the 15th day of July, he entered the Augustinian 
Monastery at Erfurt. It is said that whilst walking with one 
of his wild companions, the young man was killed by light- 
ning at his side, and that this circumstance caused him to en- 
ter the service of the church. 

In the monastery he was obliged to do menial labor, and 
beg for the support of the monks, but he assiduously contin- 
ued his studies. In 1507, he took the orders of the church 
and became a priest. Soon after this, he discovered a Latin 
Bible, which, he says, was the first time he had ever seen a 
copy of the Scriptures. With the mastery of the Bible, 
which he studied with great care, his mind was led into a new 
channel of thought. 

About this time he made a visit, or rather, a pilgrimage 
to Rome, as was the custom at that time. His soul was fill- 
ed with indignation at what he saw of the corruptions of the 
so-called Holy City. So the seed was sown that bore abun- 
dant fruit in the years to follow. His zeal in the pursuit of 
knowledge, his reputation for learning, his piety, and the 
purity of his life, became known outside of the walls of the 
monastery. When Frederick, Elector of Saxony, established 
the University of Wittenberg in 1508, Luther was called to 
the first professorship of Philosophy. In 1512, he became 
a professor of Theology. Numbers of students had been 
drawn to the infant school by the reputation and scholarly 
ability of the young professor. 

In 1517, came his first open protest against the corrup- 
tions of Rome. Pope Leo X. had determined to rebuild St. 
Peter's Cathedral, and money was needed for the purpose. 
The sale of indulgences was renewed with redoubled vigor. 
In Wittenberg, Tetzel carried on the traffic openly. A writer 
says, speaking of the disreputable business, "Tetzel, the Do- 



68 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

minican monk, like a quack-salver, is hawking Papal indul- 
gences, or rather Papal absolutions, to gather money for the 
costly work on St. Peter's. At the street corners, in the tav- 
erns, on the market-place, he is everywhere vending his 
'Apostolical' papers." 

These papers were simply to allow the holder to commit 
sin, with the assurance that it would be forgiven by the Pope. 
Luther at once raises his voice against the unholy traffic. 
Speaking of it himself, he says: "I read in the great church 
at Wittenberg, a series of propositions against these infa- 
mous indulgences, in which I set forth their utter inefficiency 
and worthlessness. I expressly declared in my protest, that 
I would submit on all occasions to the Word of God and to 
the decision of the church." 

He afterward nailed this protest (which is known in 
history as the famous "Ninety-five Theses"), with his own 
hand to the church door, announcing his determination to de- 
fend them against all comers. The Pope sent his Legate, 
Cardinal Gaeta, to adjust matters. Luther appeared before 
him, and defended his course with great ability. But his el- 
oquent arguments were met only by the command to recant. 
This he refused to do, and was cited to appear at Eome to 
answer before the Pope. 

Again he refused to obey the commands of Eome, and 
the Pope, in September, 1520, issues his famous Bull of Ex- 
communication. This Luther publicly burns. Of this event, 
he writes in his record, "This 10th day of December, 1520, at 
nine o'clock in the morning, we burnt, at Wittenberg, at the 
east gate, opposite the Church of the Holy Cross, all the 
Pope's books, the rescripts, the credentials of Clement VI., 
the extravagants, the new Bull of Leo X., and some other doc- 
uments. This is something new, I wot." 



JOHN HUSS. DJ 

By this act, Luther cut off all hope of reconciliation with 
Eome. He and his adherents are now placed under the ban 
of heresy; the penalty is death by burning. In 1521, under 
the safe conduct of Charles the Fifth, he appeared before the 
Imperial Council of Worms, and on the 12th day of April, for 
two hours, he maintained his doctrines with all the consum- 
mate eloquence and learning of which he was master. But 
his arguments and learned eloquence in defence of his posi- 
tion are again met by the command to recant. 

Unable to meet his unanswerable arguments, the Boman 
power determined to put him down by a command. But he 
stood firm. His answer is historic. With the Bible in his 
hand, he said, u Ich kann nicht cinders, hier sieke ich, Goii 
lielfe mir, Amen." "I cannot do otherwise, here stand I, God 
help me, Amen." He was declared a heretic, but escaped the 
wrath of the council. In 1522, he published his translation 
of the New Testament in the German language. This added 
new strength to the Bef ormation. 

In 1525, he married Catharine von Bora, the runaway 
nun, as he called her. With her he lived a very happy life. 
Six children were born to them. In 1529, another futile at- 
tempt was made to crush the Reformation. The Council of 
Speyer was convened to carry out the decrees of Worms. The 
council was met by a solemn protest signed by many princes 
and powerful lords. This protest gave the name of Protest- 
ant, or Protestants to those who took part in the Beforma- 
tion. 

In 1530, came the famous Augsburg Confession, drawn 
up by Melanchthon, under Luther's supervision, and the Bef- 
formation became fully established. From 1531 to 1534, 
Luther completed the translation of the Bible, and it was 
printed in the latter year by Hans Lufft. From this time 
until his death, which took place on Feb. 18, 1546, he was 



70 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



constantly engaged in writing. He was an indefatigable 
worker. A full collection of his works, numbering sixty- 
seven large octavo volumes, are to be found in the British 
Museum. In the Cassel Library at Mt. Morris College, may 
also be found an edition of his works published in 1560. 

As a matter of fact, Luther's Bible was not the first that 
was translated and printed in the German language. Prof. 
Tsachart, of the University at this place, says, "Prior to 1522, 
the date of Luther's New Testament, fourteen complete 
translations of the Bible had been printed in the High Ger- 
man, and three in the Low Dutch language. Among this 
number was the celebrated Nuremberg Bible. The first 
dated Bible in the German bears the date of 1477, and was 
printed by Zainer, at Augsburg. Of this edition, there is a 
splendid copy in the British Museum. Here may also be 
found eight others of the Pre-Luther series. These Bibles, 
however, never reached the people ; they were stored away in 
monasteries and were probably but* little read. So that it 
may be safely said that Luther first gave the Bible to the 
German people, a work alone of sufficient importance to give 
him a lasting reputation. And to show how great is the 
reverence shown him by the Germans, it is only necessary to 
say that the language used by Luther, is the German lan- 
guage of to-day. 

Any one curious to know how languages change, may 
find a striking example in the English. Books printed four 
hundred years ago in English, cannot now be read by any 
one unacquainted with them, without the help of a vocabu- 
lary. But go into the Library at Mt. Morris, take one of 
Luther's old Bibles, printed in the 16th century, and com- 
pare it with the same Bible printed to-day, and you will be 
surprised to see how little change has been made, especially 



KELIGION IN GERMANY. 71 

when compared with the great revolution in our own lan- 

guage. . . ^ 

Religion in Germany. 

In connection with Luther's life and work, some facts 
and figures are here given relative to the prevailing profes- 
sion of religion, and the condition of the State Church in 
this country. The figures here given, relative to numbers, 
have been taken from the official census of 1875, and may be 
relied upon as being correct. The facts have come partly 
under our own observation, and have been gleaned partly 
from other sources. 

Germany is historically a religious country. Her peo- 
ple were, during the supremacy of Kome, faithful adherents 
to her dogmas, and when the great contest of the Reforma- 
tion had been fought by Luther, Melanchthon, and other 
stalwarts, she was the first to adopt the Protestant faith. 
The Reformation ended in the religious freedom of the coun- 
try. That is, freedom from the power of Rome, and not 
freedom of conscience. For it must not be forgotten that the 
reformed church became, in turn, somewhat intolerant, and 
persecuted dissenters. Our own Brethren felt the force of 
this intolerant spirit, and found refuge from it by seeking 
new homes among the Quakers of Philadelphia and German- 
town. 

So it has ever been in the history of the human race. 
A yoke of bondage thrown off, it is at once sought, by those 
who have gained their freedom, to place the yoke on other 
necks. Our Revolutionary fathers fought for, and gained 
their liberty from the despotism of England; but, at the 
same time, they imposed a worse form of slavery upon the 
negro. Liberty of conscience meant, in the days of the Ref- 
ormation, that any one was free to have and to hold such 



72 



LETTEES FROM EUROPE. 



faitli as lie pleased, so long as lie pleased to hold a faith in 
accordance with that of the powers that were. 

The principal church in Germany is called the "Evan- 
gelische Landkirche." It is the State Church, and has a 
representative in the Cabinet of the . Government. He is 
known as the Minister of Religion, and has charge of all mat- 
ters pertaining to the Church Department, much the same 
as our Secretaries have charge of the departments under their 
control at Washington. 

Of the 43,000,000 inhabitants of Germany, about sixty- 
two per cent, or 26,718,823 belong to the Evangelical Church, 
'and about thirty-eight per cent,, or 15,371,227 to the Roman 
Catholic Church. From these figures it will be seen, that 
of the entire population of forty-three millions, about ninety- 
eight per cent, or over forty-two millions, belong to these two 
churches. This may seem a little singular, but it all appears 
plain enough when one understands what it takes to consti- 
tute a member of either church. In both churches, every 
child that is born to parents belonging to the church, is held 
as a church-member; they are baptized by sprinkling in in- 
fancy, and at the age of fourteen they are confirmed and are 
permitted to take the sacrament. The idea of conversion is 
not often heard of, it being the generally accepted notion that 
the change of heart, if it takes place at all, is so gradual that 
the one converted does not know when it does take place. 
The children have no choice in the matter; they are church 
members, it may be said, by birth. Again, church discipline 
is rather lax. We were informed that but few, if any, of the 
communicants, are ever excluded from the Communion of the 
church, no matter how unfit they may be morally, to partake 
of the Lord's Supper. 

The balance of the population, less than two per cent, 
is divided, as to religious faith, as follows: All other Chris- 



STATISTICS, ETC. 73 

tions; 100,608; Jews, 520,575, and without religious confes- 
sion, 16,127. Among the number under the head of "All 
other Christians," are to be found 14,040 Mennonites, 11,- 
678 Baptists, and 59 Quakers." . There are also Methodists, 
Presbyterians, and other religious societies, each claiming a 
small portion of the one hundred thousand dissenters. 

It would appear, from these figures, that the only chance 
for missionary work in Germany, would be among the Jews 
and the few thousands of non-professors. But figures do not 
always tell the truth. As a matter of fact, true vital piety 
seems to be at a low ebb here, and a reformation appeal's to 
be much needed. As proof of this, the manner of keeping 
the Sabbath-day may be instanced. The forenoons are spent 
in the church in religious service, and they seem to be very 
devotional; but the afternoons are spent in the beer-garden, 
concert halls, and other places of amusement. 

Beer-drinking is as common here, as is the drinking of 
tea and coffee in America. It is quite customary on Sunday 
afternoon, when the weather is pleasant, for the father, moth- 
er and the entire family, to go into a beer-garden, where, 
seated around a table, the mother and daughters may be seen 
busily knitting, while the father reads a paper, and smokes 
his pipe; and all, occasionally, take a drink of beer out of the 
large mugs before them. Sunday afternoon is a time for re- 
creation and they make the most of it. 

During the Luther anniversary festivities, an immense 
procession was gotten up. Saturday was the day to celebrate, 
but the marching of the procession was deferred until Sun- 
day afternoon. Then, with flags and banners, with bands of 
music and many devices representing different kinds of trades 
and manufactures, it paraded the streets of Halle. Among 
the devices was an immense beer cask, on a wagon drawn by 
four horses. Perched on the top of the cask was a man gro- 

10 



74 



LETTEKS FROM EUROPE. 



tesquely dressed, with, a bottle of beer and a beer-mug in his 
hands. 

These facts will be sufficient to show that but little re- 
gard is had for the Sabbath-day. In most towns that we 
have visited, the stores are kept open on Sunday. Dresden, 
however, is a notable exception to this; there the places of 
business were generally closed on the Lord's Day. It may 
be truthfully said, that there is but little spiritual life in 
either of the leading churches. At present, there appears to 
be a revival of interest in the Evangelical Church, but it is 
not a spiritual revival. It is rather patriotic in its nature. 
The main idea is the unity of Germany, not only politically, 
but religiously. 

There also appears to be a reaction from the materialist- 
ic tendencies of the last few years. The theological schools 
are becoming more orthodox, and a strong effort is being 
made to unify Germany in religion. Behind this movement, 
one sees the master hand that has so long ruled Germany. 
The Luther "Fest" will, without doubt, give this movement a 
strong impetus, and Bismarck's 'policy for the unification of 
Germany will be greatly strengthened. It is not, however, in 
the direction of a higher spirituality, but rather towards 
hero-worship, and the earthly glory of the German Confed- 
eration. 

The worship is very formal, and consists of much read- 
ing, singing, and some preaching. The minister, or pastor, 
as he is called, wears a gown or robe, when officiating. Many 
of the church buildings are very old, and are the ones used 
by the Catholics prior to the Keformation. One sees but lit- 
tle difference between the churches of Evangelicals and the 
Catholics. In the one are to be found the paintings and 
statuary that always ador-n the latter, with this exception, 
however; in the Evangelical churches, no paintings of the 



PASTORS AND CHURCHES. 75 

Yirgin Mary are to be seen. Crucifixes are, however, abun- 
dant. - 

The preparation for the ministry in the church involves 
a great deal of study and hard work. Beginning at the age 
of six years, fourteen or fifteen years are spent in the lower 
schools. If the candidate, at the end of this time, passes an 
examination, he is admitted to the University, where he usu- 
ally spends four years more. Before entering the University, 
he must have an accurate knowledge of Latin, Greek and 
Hebrew; not merely a smattering, but he must know it. 

After the four years' work in the University, if he passes 
an examination, he receives' a license to preach, as an assist- 
ant to some settled pastor. After filling this position for a 
year, and continuing his studies, he is examined by the Con- 
sistory, or Church Board of Examiners, and if he be found 
up to the standard requirements, he becomes a pastor. The 
Government has fixed the minimum of a pastor's salary at 
about $500 per year, and as much more than this as congre- 
gations may be able and willing to pay. When a congrega- 
tion is not able to pay the fixed price, it is paid by the State. 

Many of the congregations are very wealthy, owning and 
holding valuable property, the rental of which is used in 
paying the current expenses of the church. Formerly, a 
system of tithes was in force. One-tenth of the products of 
the land was exacted, but this has been practically done 
away with. A law was passed by which a land-owner, by 
paying down a considerable sum, might be relieved of the 
tithes. Nearly all availed themselves of this privilege, and 
the money so received, was invested as a permanent church 
fund, the interest being used to pay salaries and other ex- 
penses. 

A pastor may be called from one congregation to anoth- 
er, which is done sometimes by the congregation, sometimes 



76 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



by a distinguished or wealthy individual, such as a count, a 
duke, or a member of the royal family; or, as it sometimes 
happens, by the mayor and council of a town or city. Much 
more of interest might be written on this subject; it is inter- 
esting, and well worth careful study and consideration. 

Before closing this letter, we give the following quota- 
tion from the Nation, published at New York, which will 
show that our picture of the religious condition of Germany 
is not overdrawn: 

"For any one who reads Luther's story and considers 
his work, the fact that the great bulk of those who have just 
celebrated his achievements with pride, as one of the great- 
est of Germans, have no more faith in his doctrines than he 
put in Tetzel's, and care no more for his Bible than he cared 
for the Missal, is pathetic enough. In other words, to put it 
plainly, the birthday of the great Reformer has been honor- 
ed in his own country by people who never read his Bible, 
and who sing his hymns rather as old war songs than as ex- 
pressions of religious devotion. 

"The truth is, that there is now but little religious belief 
of any kind to be found among the educated classes of Prot- 
estant Germany, and that Luther's Reformation is, in their 
eyes, rather a step in the political and intellectual emancipa- 
tion of the country than a phase of religious progress. Lu- 
ther is to them a forerunner of Bismarck, in short, rather 
than the promulgator of a new creed, or the founder of a new 
church. They care but very little about the nature or origin 
of his quarrel with the Pope. 

"What he managed to save out of the wreck of his old 
faith is no more valuable in their eyes, than what he lost, and 
his Bible interests them rather as a specimen of Old Ger- 
man, than as a new spiritual lamp, provided by him for men 
of his time. Rome could not have wished, and probably has 



EELIGIOUS MATTEKS. 



77 



never expected a more complete failure of Lutheranism, in 
the sense in which Luther would have wished the term Lu- 
theranism to be taken, than has really occurred. 

"But the failure is such that the church profits nothing 
by it. Not much of his construction work is left in Ger- 
many among the class which reflects on religious problems, 
but the spirit of free inquiry in which he carried it on, has 
grown stronger than ever. The process which he applied to 
Papal authority is now applied to all subjects whatever. The 
Bible itself has to submit to the tests and questionings to 
which he subjected the Pope and the Councils. 

"This, were he to come on earth again, he might soon 
get to understand and even enjoy, but never that strong and 
growing disposition of his countrymen to think only of the 
things of this life, and to dismiss from their attention, as in- 
scrutable and insoluble, those problems of the hereafter with 
which he and most thinking men of his time, were mainly 
occupied." 

This is severe, but it contains much truth. It is appar- 
ent to any one who will take the trouble to observe the con- 
dition of the Evangelical Church in Germany to-day, that 
there is a great lack of spirituality in it. And yet, on the 
whole, we are disposed to think that the above article is rath- 
er too severe. We have met some men here who seemed to 
be much in earnest in the Christian work. 
► We have found here a little society of worshipers, who 
are so plain and simple, and withal so earnest in their relig- 
ious services, that we feel quite an interest in them. One of 
their number preaches in a simple manner, in the forenoon, 
and another in the afternoon. After preaching, the minister 
comes down among the congregation, shaking hands all 
around, and they seem so happy and devoted in their servic- 
es, that one feels good to be with them. 



78 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

We feel that they are an honest, earnest company of men 
and women, serving God according to the best knowledge 
that they have of his Word It is an interesting study to 
mark the effect of a simple faith upon the lives of these peo- 
ple. While many other so-called Christians spend Sunday 
afternoons and evenings in the beer-gardens and concert- 
rooms, these people spend it in their simple way in worship- 
ing God. They have a little Sunday-school, which is well at- 
tended, and quite interesting. 

Much more might be written on this interesting subject, 
but this letter is long enough. W^e are in receipt of many 
kind letters from our brethren and friends at home. We 
cannot answer all, but take occasion to thank you all for the 
kind words and assurance of love contained in them. They 
come "like good news from a far country," and are as wel- 
come as a cup of cold water to the thirsty traveler on the des- 
ert sands. 

We are all enjoying the blessing of good health. Pro- 
fessors Jenks and Burnett are both in Halle, busy at work in 
the University. They both speak German quite fluently. 
Wife gets along very well. We are living with a family of 
Germans who cannot speak a word of English; and it is a 
well-known fact that two women cannot be in the same house 
any length of time without talking together. As a result, 
wife is getting a knowledge of the German. 

We have just read, in the telegraphic columns of the 
London Neivs, of a terrible storm in the North and West of 
the United States. We await with some anxiety for news di- 
rect from home. According to the account given in the pa- 
per referred to, much damage was done. 



LETTER VI. 



Germany.— Farms and Farm Life— Wages -The 
| Customs and Habits of the People. 

brother, writing from America, says, "Tell us some- 
||§j| thing about farm-life and customs in Germany." It 
^tf 9 has been our purpose to write something on this part 
of German life, as soon as we could obtain information of a 
reliable character. We will, therefore, in this letter, give 
some facts relative to farming, and, as far as we are able, say 
something about the home-life of the German farmer and 
his village neighbors. 

At first thought, it would appear that this would be but a 
: light task, but it is not so easy to obtain information as one 
might at first think. For instance, we have asked a number 
of Germans the price of land, but among the number, found 
only one who would venture an opinion, and his knowledge 
of the subject was rather indefinite. In America, so many 
changes are constantly being made, so many farms are bought 
and sold, that everybody knows what land is worth, especial- 
ly in his own locality. Not so here; changes are rare, and 
farms are not so often sold, many of the larger estates re- 
maining in the same family for hundreds of years. In sev- 
eral cases, estates have come down in the same family in an 
unbroken line, from the tenth century. 

The price of land varies considerably; the range of pric- 
es is given at from $50 to $150 per acre. Land-owners may 
be divided into six different classes: 

1. The Public Domain. The land owned by the royal 
family, and from which the Emperor receives the rental. 



so 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



2. "Rittergueter." These are the estates of the noble- 
men, counts, lords, barons, etc. 

3. Church Estates. The property of the church, the 
rental of which goes to pay the preacher. 

4. School Land. 

5. "Bauerngueter." The land belonging to the farmer 
who stocks his farm and manages it himself. 

6. The "Hseusler," or the owner of a house in a village 
or town, with or without a small parcel of land, a garden or 
yard. 

The size and extent of the farms and estates may be 
found in the following estimate, taken from the official cen- 
sus of Saxony for 1880. Taking four hundred land-owners, 
and they are divided in respect to the number of acres of 
land they own severally as follows (the round numbers are 
given without fractions): 

Those owning less than three acres - 182 
" " from three to ten acres - 80 
ten to 100 acres ... 133 

" " over 100 acres - - - 5 

It will be seen from this, that the great majority of the 
land is owned in small parcels. The table referred to above, 
shows that only one out of 2,000,* owns an estate of over 500 
acres, and that only one out of 2,500 owns over 1000 acres. 
(A Saxon acre contains two and one-fifth of our acres.) 

The owners of the large estates ( "Rittergueter" ) have 
certain inherited rights that belong only to them. They have 
a right to a seat in the "Landstag," or Legislature. They al- 
so usually control the appointment of the preacher, or minis- 
ter for the church or churches, that may be on their estates. 

Formerly, every farmer and laboring man within their 
jurisdiction was compelled to work a certain number of days 
each year without pay, for the lord of the manor. This has 



FARMS AND FARM LIFE. 81 

"been abolished by law, but all who were liable to perform 
this service were compelled to pay annually a tax to the no- 
blemen. The law made this tax obligatory for fifty-four 
years, after which the small land-owners became wholly free. 
In one province, Mecklenburg, the old system of labor still 
prevails. 

This is a relic of the old feudal system, when a few pow- 
erful noblemen owned all the land, and held the common peo- 
ple as serfs or slaves. Gradually, as education and civiliza- 
tion spread over the country, the peasants acquired more lib- 
erty, and finally became land-owners, with certain restric- 
tions. These restrictions have been gradually abolished by 
law, until now but few traces of them remain. One of the 
singular restrictions imposed, and one that has only recently 
been abolished, was that no one owing allegiance to the pro- 
prietor of an estate of this kind could marry without his con- 
sent. At the present time, the large estates are rented for a 
term of twelve years, at about five per cent of the value of 
the land. 

The church and school lands are rented in small parcels 
to the poorer classes, who are able to farm only a few acres; 
the rental for these being somewhat higher than for the larg- 
er estates. Farmers who own from fifty to one hundred acres 
are generally very well-to-do, and are called by the Germans, 
in a familiar proverb, "velvet farmers, who plow with silver 
plows." 

Those who rent the larger estates are men of considera- 
ble wealth, and are usually able, after years of hard work 
and economy, to become land-owners themselves. The small- 
er farmers, who rent, perhaps, from five to ten acres and own 
a horse, a cow or an ox, are not able to materially better their 
condition here. The rule with them is, once poor, always 
poor. 

11 



82 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

The principal crop in this section of the country seems 
to be the sugar -beet, of which many thousands of acres are 
cultivated. They make a large yield, and are perhaps as 
profitable as anything the farmer raises. There are many 
sugar manufactories here, and much of the sugar produced 
in Germany is manufactured from the sugar-beet. Wheat, 
rye, oats and potatoes are also cultivated. Rye is largely us- 
ed for bread, many families using no wheat bread at all. It 
is said to be healthy, and, when it is fresh, is quite good. It 
is baked in large, oblong loaves, about two feet long, and per- 
haps ten inches wide, and six inches thick. These loaves, in 
a few days after they are baked, become very solid, and it re- 
quires a good set of teeth to masticate them. 

We looked in vain, in traveling over this part of the 
country, for the fine, large farm-houses, with their beautiful 
yards, and well-kept lawns, and gardens, and the huge bank 
barns, that dot the country at home, like so many monuments 
of the industry, the enterprise, and the taste of our Ameri- 
can farmers. Occasionally, on one of the large estates, the 
buildings forming a little village are to be seen; but, for the 
most part, the country is entirely bare of buildings and fenc- 
es, presenting rather a singular appearance, especially to 
those who, like ourselves, are used to seeing it so different at 
home. Instead of the farm-houses, however, we find, scatter- 
ed over the country, many villages containing from 500 to 
3000 souls, and here are to be found the homes of the farm- 
ers. The houses are, for the most part, strong and sub- 
stantially built. 

The streets are narrow, and not remarkably clean, and they 
literally swarm with children of all sizes and ages, from the 
crawling babe, to the ragged urchin of ten years, all of them 
dirty, ragged and healthy looking. Walking through the 
streets, one can hardly conceive how so many can live in so 



t 



THE LABOBING CLASS. 



83 



small a place. In addition to the farmers' homes, the villages 
are also the homes of the poorer classes, laborers who work 
"by the day, for the farmers, at exceedingly low wages, say 
from twenty to forty cents per day, and board themselves, 
whilst in harvest this sum is usually doubled. 

Weavers who own a hand-loom, and weave cloth and 
flannels for the farmers ; shoemakers, who provide them with 
shoes, many of which have wooden soles, others being made 
entirely of wood; shop-keepers who do a general retail trade, 
and last, but not least, the "Gastwirth," avIio supplies the vil- 
lagers with their daily allowance of beer, which seems to be 
as much of a necessity here, as tea and coffee is with us at 
home. 

The extremely low wages received by the tradesman for 
his labor makes it necessary for him to supplement his work 
by doing a little farming. A small piece of ground is rented, 
and with one horse, which is often conveniently stabled un- 
der the same roof that covers his family, and by the help of 
his wife and daughters, he is able to add enough to his in- 
come to keep the wolf from his door. 

But when crops fail and hard times come, then there is 
often among the villagers, actual want and suffering, which 
is often relieved by the assistance of the government. These 
people, in their home-life, practice the most rigid economy, 
living on the black, hard rye bread, with a mug of beer and, 
sometimes, a fat piece of pork. Often, however, they do not 
have meat. The women all work hard, both in-doors and 
out, at all kinds of labor. Not long since, we saw a woman 
carrying mortar to brick-layers. In fact, as was stated in a 
former letter, there is no kind of labor that women do not do 
here. 

From these villages come the greatest number of emi- 
grants to America. They settle upon our Western lands and 



84 LETTEES FROM EUROPE. 

by their industrious and economical habits become, as a gen- 
eral thing, well-to-do, and make an excellent class of citizens. 
It is a good thing that these people can go to America. Here 
there is no hope for them; they have only before them a life 
of toil, and often of privation and want. 

As before intimated, wages are extremely low. Women 
who work on the farm, and do fully as much work as men, 
receive far less wages, but we ought not to say too much 
about this, for at home the same injustice prevails. We nev- 
er could understand why, in justice, a woman should receive 
less wages for doing the same kind of work, than a man, es- 
pecially if she does the work just as well. Perhaps some of 
our school directors could give a good reason for this. 

The smaller farmers, those who own from ten to twenty 
acres, are compelled to live very sparingly in order to meet 
expenses. Their food consists of potatoes, pork, cheese, 
(which, by the way, is exceedingly strong,) and black bread. 
Butter is not used to any extent. Occasionally, some of those 
who are rich use it for breakfast, but it is never used for din- 
ner. Lard is sometimes used instead of butter. 

The farmer is said to be pious, easily contented, very in- 
dustrious and economical. His wants are few and easily sat- 
isfied. As in America, so here, money gives him influence 
and respectability among his neighbors. He is proud, and 
will not allow his sons or daughters to marry into a family 
that has fewer acres than himself. Marriage is therefore oft- 
en simply a matter of business among them. The question 
as to whether the parties to the contract love each other or 
not, does not seem to be of much importance. As a result, 
the home-life is not always a happy one, the head of the fam- 
ily often feeling it his duty to chastise his wife as well as his 
children, which he does with no light hand. 



CUSTOMS, WAGES, ETC. 85 

Mr. B. Lohman, a teacher in the Dresden schools, whose 
father is a farmer, and to whom I am indebted for some of 
the facts contained in this letter, says: "The more money the 
farmer has, the greater is the value of his children. The 
sons are able to look for rich girls, the daughters can hope to 
gain rich farmers' sons. Love has nothing to do with the 
marriage, and willingly the girl obeys the wish of her parents, 
who love the bridegroom's fortune more than the son-in-law 
himself." 

The more wealthy farmers are able to hire an overseer 
or head servant, who receives from $75 to $90 per year, with 
board, while the common laborers get much less. The farm- 
ers' maids are hired at from twenty to thirty dollars per year, 
and must work in-doors and out. Wages differ in different 
localities. We have given about the highest; some places 
much less is paid. Wages for all kinds of labor are very 
low. 

We have recently visited some of the large sugar manu- 
factories. Here many women are employed, who receive 
from twenty-five to thirty-seven and a half cents per day and 
board themselves. They commence work at six o'clock in 
the morning, stop a few minutes at nine o'clock to eat a lunch, 
and again at twelve for dinner, which they carry with them, 
and then work until six o'clock in the evening. The same 
rule of low wages holds good in any department of labor. 

In Halle, a city of 70,000 inhabitants, a shoemaker will 
take your measure and furnish you with an excellent pair of 
hand-made calf boots for from $3.00 to $425; at Mt. Morris, 
the same article would cost from $6.00 to $9.00. Girls who 
work out in families receive from twelve to thirty dollars per 
year, depending upon their strength and their reputation for 
doing their work well. At Dresden, the wages were some- 
what higher for girls. There they receive from two to four 



88 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



dollars par month. Here in the house in which we live, the 
family hire a married woman, who comes in the early morn- 
ing, does up the work, going home at about eleven o'clock to 
prepare a meal for her own family, and returning again after 
dinner. She, of course, boards herself, and receives the mag- 
nificent sum of fifteen cents per day for her labor. 

It must not be thought that because the wages are low 
that the work is correspondingly easy, for such is not the 
case. It includes an amount of drudgery and hard work 
that our girls at home could not be hired to do. For instance, 
how long would one of our girls live with a family where she 
would be required to blacken boots and shoes, and carry coal 
on her back up to the fourth story of a house ? We imagine 
we hear some of our readers saying, "Not an hour!" Well, 
we do not blame you, for we would not want to see such things 
done by our girls, but you may in your hearts thank the 
Lord that you live in America and not in Germany, and you 
may learn to be happy and contented with your lot, which is 
indeed a light and easy one, compared with the lives of many 
of the German girls. 

None of us fully realize the blessings of our grand, free 
country, but we need only to draw a contrast between our own 
lot, and that of the monarchies of Europe, to see how beyond 
measure God has blessed us in America. 

Customs. 

Under this head we shall have something to say of the 
customs of the Germans, their methods of living, their habits, 
social life, and especially their way of doing work. It must 
not be forgotten that these descriptions relate only to the lo- 
calities that we have visited, and may or may not apply to, 
and be true of, other parts .of Germany. Here we shall set 
down only such facts and describe such scenes as have come 
under our own personal observation. 



CUSTOMS, ETC. 87 

Our aim will be simply to give facts in a way that they 
may be easily under stood, with the hope that they may not 
only entertain, but instruct as well. And while we describe 
these peculiarities of the Germans, we shall not write any- 
thing with a feeling of ill-will towards the people with whom 
we are so pleasantly sojourning, and who have many good 
and noble qualities that we can heartily admire and praise. 
One can hardly, however, describe the customs and peculiar- 
ities of the people without seeming to be somewhat personal. 

One of the first things to be noticed here, is the sociabil- 
ity and hearty good- will of the Germans. We noticed this 
upon our landing at Bremen, where we were received by to- 
tal strangers, and made so heartily welcome that we at once 
felt that we had warm-hearted friends in the Vcderland, 
and a sojourn of some months among the people of Germany 
has only strengthened this feeling. We hardly feel that we 
are strangers in a strange land, but rather that we are living 
among a kind, generous, sociable, warm-hearted people; and 
the best part of it is, that there is seemingly no ostentation 
or show of good-will. It appears to be a genuine outburst of 
real good-nature. One finds this characteristic quite general. 
If you inquire the way on the street, you are quite likely (if 
you do not fully understand the direction given) to have the 
stranger walk with you and point out the desired locality. 

We attended worship in the little society described in 
one of our former letters. When we were seated, one of the 
members handed us a hymn-book, and after service, without 
waiting for an introduction, they made us feel welcome and 
quite at home by their earnest, simple manner. We thought 
then that, perhaps, a little more attention paid to strangers 
who come among us, and attend our meetings at home, might 
not be out of place. Courtesy and kindness cost only an ef- 
fort on our part, and bring a large return. 



88 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



Laborers. 

One does not see the rush and hurry among the laborers 
here, that is to be noticed in, and is quite characteristic of, the 
workmen at home, especially if the latter are working by the 
job. We have observed some American workmen who, when 
working by the day, seemed to have gotten hold of the Ger- 
man idea. . The German goes about his work in such an easy, 
leisurely sort of a way, that it makes one feel that the man 
is taking a rest; and one is really, sometimes almost led to be- 
lieve, that his main object is to ascertain just how much time 
he can consume, in doing a certain piece of work, and at the 
same time keep in motion. 

"We have stood by and watched a lot of men at work on a 
large building. There was no rush or hurry; the work went 
on in a quiet, easy way, audit was quite restful to watch 
them. Here are a number of men laying brick, and this is 
the way they do it. The brick-layer, with a trowel in one 
hand and a brush in the other (something like a large paint- 
brush), proceeds to place upon the wall, with his trowel, mor- 
tar enough in which to lay one brick. The mortar is very 
carefully arranged, smoothed and adjusted to a nicety; the 
brush is then clipped into a pail of water standing by his side, 
and the water that adheres to the brush is sprinkled on the 
mortar. The trowel and brush are now laid down, the brick 
taken up and pressed firmly into its place with both hands. 
A hammer is now picked up, and the brick is lightly tapped 
and put into line. The trowel and brush are again taken up 
and the process repeated. 

It is quite safe to say that in America, one of our best 
brick-layers, when laying by the thousand, will put into a 
wall five times as many bricks, in the same length of time, as 
do the brick-layers we are , describing. At the same build- 
ing, where the brick-layers were slowly and carefully doing 



WEAVING WITHOUT A LOOM. 



89 



their work, we saw four men unloading brick One man 
stood on the wagon and passed them carefully to the next 
man, who stood by the wagon-side, and he, in turn, passed 
them along the line until they reached the fourth man, who 
piled them up. Two men at home would do the same work 
in much less time. 

So it is with most kinds of work. Laborers are plenty, 
and they work for low wages, with results as stated above. 
Much work is done by hand here, that in America is done by 
machinery. We have seen men weaving without a loom. 
The work was done out in an open yard. The warp was 
stretched out the full length of the piece of goods to be wov- 
en, perhaps forty yards, and fastened firmly at both ends. It 
was supported by a number of trestles, placed perhaps five 
feet apart, upon which the warp and that part that had been 
woven lay. At one end, the warp was fastened to a heavy 
block placed on wheels. As the warp grew shorter by weav- 
ing, the block would gradually be wheeled up, allowing the 
shortening process to go on. One man, with a spool-like 
shuttle, on which the woof was wrapped, passed it through 
the warp, which was divided by a contrivance, somewhat sim- 
ilar to that used on a hand-loom, and was managed by a sec- 
ond man, whilst a third, with a long, thin, iron blade, perhaps 
an eighth of an inch thick, to the one end of which was at- 
tached a wooden handle, by striking between the separated 
halves of the warp, drove the woof tightly to its place. This 
method of weaving is quite primitive, and it was very inter- 
esting to watch the men at work. We might give other ex- 
amples, but these will suffice to show how work is done here. 

Another important matter, and one that exerts great in- 
fluence on the laborers, is the food they eat and their home 
comforts. It can be said that the laborers have few comforts 
at home, and that they are not well fed. Many of them live 

12 



90 



LETTEES FKOM EUEOPE. 



in the cellars or basements of the houses in the large cities. 
Their homes are cold and cheerless. They always eat their 
dinners at the place they work. They eat but little meat; 
black bread, a mug of beer and sometimes soup, that is car- 
ried to them warm from their homes, compose their dinners. 

In Dresden, we saw twenty or thirty men who were en- 
gaged in paving a street. They sat down on the paving 
stones, and ate their scanty meals, after which they composed 
themselves for an after-dinner nap, using their coats for pil- 
lows. It looked singular enough to see thirty men stretched 
out in the street at midday, all apparently asleep. 

For the last four weeks, we have passed daily a large 
government building, at noon. The workmen were to be seen 
sitting around on the ground, eating their dinners. A few 
days ago, we passed, during a snow-storm. They occupied 
their usual places, quietly eating, sitting out in the snow and 
cold. It seemed hard enough. They might, at least, have 
gone into the building, which had a roof on it, but they seem- 
ed to prefer .their accustomed places, even if it did snow. 

Dr. J. Conrad, the most eminent authority on all labor 
questions in Germany, and Professor of "National Oekono- 
mie" in the University at this place, said, in a recent lecture: 

"It is a well-established fact, that the German laborer 
cannot stand beside the Englishman, the Frenchman, and the 
American, in the amount of labor that each is able to per- 
form, and there can be no doubt but that this inability on the 
part of the German laborer, comes from the fact that he is 
not well-fed. The English and American workmen eat plen- 
ty of beef and strong food, and they are strong, active and 
vigorous, capable of doing much more work than the poorly- 
fed German laborer." 

How to better the condition of the laboring classes is an 
important question for the economist. The way does not 



EDUCATION, ARTS AND SCIENCES. 91 

seem very plain here. There are so many laborers that low 
wages result; and, with low wages, they cannot procure the 
comforts and necessaries of life. As intimated in a former 
letter, many of them look to America as the land of promise. 

Many of them, however, can never secure enough money 
to pay for the passage. So they live on from hand to mouth, 
managing, by the most rigid economy, to eke out a living. 
Many of them, with all their hardships, seem to be cheerful, 
and one may almost say, happy. 

Our readers must not fall into the error, whilst reading 
of the condition of the laborers, and their methods of doing 
work here, of supposing that Germany is behind the times. 
The fact is, that in education, and in the arts and sciences, 
she occupies a place in the first rank among the nations of 
the world, and in manufactures and skilled labor her position 
is an enviable one. 

The fine yarn and woolen goods of Saxony are known in 
many of the great cities of Europe and America, whilst the 
Dresden china, for richness and beauty, is unsurpassed. The 
immense Krupp Gun Works are many times larger than any 
similar works known. Sugar is manufactured in large quan- 
tities,, and it is said that the Germans do not adulterate their 
sugar as do the American manufacturers, which, if true, is 
much to their credit; and in many other lines of manufactur- 
ed goods, they are far in advance of what the condition of the 
laboring class would seem to indicate. 

The state of the laborer here is due to various causes, 
among which may be named the great number of workmen 
in proportion to the amount of labor to be performed. But 
one of the principal causes may be traced directly to the old 
feudal system, the effects of which are to be plainly seen 
here now, and which prevailed, so far as the laborers were 
concerned, up to the beginning of the present century. Un- 



92 LETTEES FROM EUROPE. 

der this old system, the laborers were held by the petty lords 
and nobles, as serfs or slaves. They suffered many hardships 
and were often cruelly treated by their masters. Those who 
farmed the land, which was all owned by the nobles, and was 
given out in small parcels to the peasants, were compelled to 
work a certain number of days each month, for the land-own- 
er without pay. The number of days to be worked, depend- 
ed entirely upon the will of the master, who made them more 
or less, as suited his purpose. When not working for the 
owner of the land, the peasant labored on his own little farm, 
to make a living for himself and family, working very often 
far into the night to sow, or to reap his crop. In addition to 
this, he was compelled to give one-tenth of everything that 
he raised on his few acres. He was robbed of the right to 
the wild game in the forest, and of the fish in the rivers. 

According to an old custom called the "heriot," or "best 
chattel," the lord, upon the death of a peasant, took from the 
widow the best chattel she possessed, often the best horse or 
cow. The peasants' fields, when almost ready for harvest, 
were often trampled down by the lord and his retainers, as 
they rode out to hunt. So galling did this slavery become 
that, in 1525, the peasants rebelled. They raised as their 
standard a flag, on which was painted a peasant's wooden 
shoe, called the "Bundschuh." 

A short but bloody war ensued. The peasants were, of 
course, defeated, and with terrible and unheard-of cruelties 
were subjected to worse conditions than before. Over 100,- 
000 of them had been killed, and their slavery was complete. 
They were only relieved by the reforms instituted at the be- 
ginning of the present century, and the* effect of centuries of 
serfdom is to be seen in the condition of the laboring classes 
to-day. Their condition, as bad as it now seems to us, is 
much better than it was a hundred years ago, and it is to be 



THE MIDDLE CLASS. 



93 



hoped that the improvement may still go on, for there is cer- 
tainly much need for it. 

The Middle Class. 

The middle class are generally well-to-do people, com- 
posed of the wealthier farmers, the shopkeepers or merchants, 
and the master mechanics. They live much better than the 
laboring class, and the line between them is pretty sharply 
drawn. They do not associate as equals. Perhaps all will 
better understand the way the families of this class live, if 
we give a daily program of their meals. 

The first eating of the day, at about seven o'clock is call- 
ed "Morgen Kaffee." This consists of coffee and rolls, the 
coffee being very strong and very black. Our custom was to 
call for hot water, using half wa ter, and half of the strong 
coffee, and this made the coffee as strong as we cared to drink 
it. At ten o'clock they have the second meal, at which, in 
addition to the rolls and coffee, meat of some kind (usually 
cold), is served. At one o'clock they have dinner. This is 
the principal meal of the day. Generally, two or three dif- 
ferent kinds of meat are served with vegetables. In most 
families, beer and wine are freely drank at this meal. But- 
ter is not to be seen on the tables at noon. Even in the best 
hotels it is only passed around with bread and cheese as a 
dessert. At four o'clock the table is again set. This time 
coffee and cakes compose the meal. At seven o'clock "Abend 
Brod," or supper is eaten. At this meal tea is drank and 
bread, butter and cold meats are served. 

This was the regular daily routine in the family with 
whom we boarded in Dresden, and, upon inquiry, we found 
it was a pretty general custom. We however, declined the 
ten o'clock and three o'clock meals, preferring to adhere to 
our home custom of three meals a day. 



94 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



The houses are well and comfortably furnished, and on 
the whole, somewhat plainer than in America. We miss the 
carpets, so common at home. The floors are either painted 
or polished, but carpets are very rarely to be seen. Even in 
the palaces, the rooms are bare of carpets, the floors being 
highly polished. A few rugs are placed on the floors in front 
of tables, sofas, and beds. 

At first this all seemed very strange to us, but we are 
now used to it, and seem to get along as well without carpet 
as with it. In the large towns and cities, the people are sup- 
plied with provisions from a market. This is held in a large, 
open square, usually near the centre of the city. Here a busy 
and stirring scene is presented on market days. The market- 
ing is done entirely by the women, both the buying and the 
selling. They sit in the open square in all kinds of weather, 
winter and summer, with but little protection from summer 
heat or the cold, wintry winds. The market closes at two 
o'clock, and then the square is swept and cleaned for the 
next day. Here one may buy almost any of the products of 
the land in the season, from a head of cabbage to a bit-cheese, 
which is usually very strong for its size. Fish are offered 
for sale alive, swimming in water, contained in large tanks, 
from which they are taken with small nets, as they are 
sold. 

It is an interesting study to walk through the market 
and observe the manner and customs of the people. One 
learns much of their economical habits by noticing the pur- 
chases made. A woman, for instance, may be seen 1 buying a 
few leaves of cabbage for one "pfennig;" (four "pfennigs" 
equal our cent) potatoes for a few "pfennigs," etc., very many 
of the purchases not exceeding twenty "pfennigs" (five cents). 
In fact it seems to us that the German "mark" (twenty- 



BEER DRINKING. 95 

five cents) is regarded about as we regard a dollar at home, 
and the "pfennig," in the same way, is equal to our cent. 

Beer Drinking'. 

We have, in a former letter, referred to the universal 
habit of beer-drinking in Germany, and it is again referred 
to here in order to show that our former estimate was not too 
strong. The official statistics show that the total consump- 
tion of beer in Germany is equal to about twenty-three gal- 
lons for each man, woman and child, composing the forty-five 
millions of inhabitants of the German Empire. This seems 
almost incredible, but it is nevertheless true. Only about 
two-thirds of the population are adults, and women and chil- 
dren do not drink up to the average. Whilst most of the 
women drink beer and wine, most of them drink only moder- 
ately. This leaves the quantity consumed by the men very 
much above the average, and it will probably not be placing 
it too high at from 40 to 50 gallons each. In addition to 
this, a great deal of wine, brandy, and whiskey is drank. 

At home, we have often heard it said, that notwithstand- 
ing the great amount of beer-drinking in Germany, but little 
drunkenness is to be seen. And this has been used as an 
argument in favor of beer-drinking. Of course, we have no 
way of telling whether this is true of Germany as a whole or 
not; but as a matter of fact, we have seen more drunken men 
in Halle in the two and a half months that we have been here, 
than we ever did in any American town or city, in the same 
length of time. 

It is also said that drunkenness is increasing here, and 
this appears to be true. Beer-drinking is carried to such ex- 
cess, that even at the meetings of the so-called religious so- 
cieties, it is freely indulged in. For example, on the occa- 
sion of the Luther festivities, the theological societies held a 



96 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

meeting composed of ministers, professors and students pre- 
paring for the ministry. We did not attend this meeting, 
but we are informed upon good authority, that it was held in 
a large beer hall, and that all engaged in drinking and smok- 
ing. 

A few weeks ago, we attended a missionary meeting held 
by the mission society, in the church. A sermon was preach- 
ed, after which a missionary from China related his experi- 
ence among the Chinese. After the services in the church 
were concluded, the minister announced that the society 
would adjourn to meet in a large restaurant (we call them in 
America, beer halls), where the further business of the meet- 
ing would be considered. 

Is it to be wondered at, that spirituality is at a low ebb 
in Germany? If those who are to lead the people, and whose 
duty it is to break the Bread of Life to the waiting multi- 
tudes, show a light of this kind to the world, what can be ex- 
pected of the flock, and what must the harvest be of such a 
seed-time as this? He that sows to the wind, will reap of the 
whirlwind, and we may rest assured the whirlwind will come. 

The more we see of the condition of the church here, the 
more are we impressed with the importance of our standing 
firmly by our Gospel principles. The simple faith of Jesus, 
the distinctive features of Christianity, as taught by him and 
his apostles, unaided by human wisdom, and human devices, 
is the only hope for humanity. Any deviation from this 
leads only in one direction, and that is towards the death of 
spirituality. The deviation may be ever so little at first, but 
in years it will grow. Other deviations from the true doc- 
trine of Christ will add themselves to it, until, like a mighty 
river, fed by a thousand little streams, it sweeps everything 
before it, and the truths of the blessed Gospel, with their 
sweet simplicity, are carried away, and there is left only a 



VISIT TO DENMARK. 



97 



dull, cold, formality. God help us all to be faithful, even in 

LITTLE THINGS. 

"We purpose to visit Bro. Hope and the church in Den- 
mark in the near future. We had thought to defer this visit 
until next spring, but as we have decided to go down into 
Egypt, and also to visit Palestine, our only opportunity for 
going to Denmark seems to be now, as we are quite anxious 
to get to America, so as to attend our next A. M., and this we 
cannot do if we defer our visit to Denmark until after our re- 
turn from the East. 

It may be well to say here, that our Palestine trip may 
be interfered with by the war in Africa. The latest advices 
seem to indicate that the False Prophet is likely to make the 
Turks some trouble. We cannot tell what the future will 
bring forth. "Man proposes, but God disposes," and we 
leave the matter in his hands. 




13 



LETTER VII. 




Denmark and the Danish Mission-Bro. Hope's Work- 
From Halle to Copenhagen. 

N the morning of December 24th, we left Halle for a 
short visit with Bro. Hope and the church in Denmark, 
•^p- Those of onr readers who have been following us m our 
travels upon their maps, may go with us from Halle m a 
north-westerly direction to Magdeburg, a railroad centre, and 
a city of considerable importance. It was, for a time, the 
home of Luther, and is, of course, renowned on that ac- 

C ° Un i ; rom this point, we travel nearly north to Stendal, and 
from Stendal a little north of west to Welzen, then north- 
west to Hamburg, via Luneburg and Harburg. Hamburg is 
one of the great free cities of Germany, and one among the 
most important trading places in Europe. On our return 
from Denmark, we may spend a few days at this place and 
give our readers some further account of it, Irom Ham- 
burg, we again travel north-west to Kiel, by way of Elmshorn 
and Neuminster. At Kiel we took a steamship for Korsor; 
the time required for the passage is about six hours. When 
we embarked, the water was calm, but before we reached the 
harbor, we had a taste of the chopping sea, and wife had a 
little experience with seasickness. From Korsor where Bro. 
Hope met us, we went by rail north-east to Copenhagen. 
The time occupied in making the trip was about thirty hours, 
or about the same time usually taken to travel from Mt. Mor- 
ris to New York. 



ON THE WAY TO DENMARK. 



99 



Winter traveling is not, as a general thing very pleasant, 
bnt the conditions here seemed to be changed, and our ride 
through Northern Germany, on this bright December day, 
was very pleasant indeed. The winter, so far, here has 
been quite mild; a very little snow has fallen, and what we 
have had, only remained a few days; indeed, we have had on- 
ly three or four days, so far, that the mercury stood below 
the freezing-point. We noticed, as we passed along, many of 
the farmers busy plowing. 

The small grain fields were covered with a thick mat- 
ting of green, looking much like a well-kept lawn in midsum- 
mer in America. The country is fairly dotted with these lit- 
tle fields of rich green, brought into strong contrast by the 
brown soil, that has just been turned up by the plowman, 
presenting a A^ery pleasing picture. 

Far down in the South the sun was shining brightly, and 
as we traveled northward we only realized fully that we were 
far north of our home in America. At 12 o'clock, noon, the 
train stopped a few minutes at Welzen, and we had an op- 
portunity to observe the position of the sun. Looking di- 
rectly to the south, the sun appeared only a few degrees 
above the horizon. Any one looking westward at home, an 
hour and a half before sunset, will see the sun about as far 
above the western horizon, as we saw it on this day, at noon 
above the southern horizon. 

Going a few degrees farther north, we reach a point in 
Sweden and Norway, where, from the 10th to the 30th of De- 
cember, the sun does not appear above the horizon at all, and 
for some weeks before and after these dates, it is only seen 
for a very short time each day. At the same place, in mid- 
summer, the sun is seen for two weeks, all the time; that is, 
for two weeks the sun does not set at all, giving this region 



100 LETTEES EEOM EUEOPE. 

the very appropriate name of "The Land of the Midnight 

Sun." * . . 

One cannot shake off the impression that the points ot 
the compass have been changed, and that the South has 
moved around to the West. So, too, it must seem equally 
strange, in midsummer, to see the sun apparently describing 
a circle in the heavens, and not disappearing from view for 
days and weeks. Truly, "The heavens declare the glory of 
God, and the firmament showeth forth his handiwork. Day 
unto' day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth 
knowledge." 

One of the most singular things about this far northern 
country is its climate. As we travel northward, we shall say 
something about this feature of northern Europe. The for- 
tieth degree of north latitude passes through the States of 
California, Utah, Colorado, between Kansas and Nebraska, 
through Northern Missouri, Central Illinois, and through 
Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The fiftieth degree passes 
entirely north of the northern boundary of the United States; 
the fifty-fifth touches Hudson Bay, and the sixtieth, Green- 
land. 

The winters in America, except in California, are ex- 
tremely cold, as a rule, anywhere between the fortieth and 
forty-fifth degrees, and as we go north to the fiftieth, it is so 
extremely cold, that most people do not care to spend the 
winter in that frigid region. But here we have been living, 
so far this winter, north of the fiftieth degree of north lati- 
tude, in a climate that is much warmer than it is in Northern 
Illinois. 

Winter wheat, rye and oats make splendid crops, whilst 
for fruits, the country cannot be excelled. We have had the 
finest plums and pears here that we ever ate, equalling m 
size and flavor, the fruits of California. We are now north 



THE CLIMATE. 101 

of the fifty-fifth degree, and there is no snow, and the ground 
is not frozen. And why is this? If the same conditions ex- 
isted here that hold in North America, all of this rich and 
fertile land, supplying many millions of people with homes 
and food, would be as barren as Greenland. 

Here, again, we may see the wisdom of the Almighty 
manifested. The climate is modified, and this goodly land 
made habitable by the ocean currents. These great rivers of 
the sea, flow through the waters of the mighty ocean, like an 
immense inland stream, carrying the warm waters of the Tor- 
rid Zone far up into the North, and giving all northern Eu- 
rope a mild and pleasant climate. The laws that govern this 
constant flow of the waters of the ocean, from the south to 
the north, and vice versa, are pretty well understood; but 
back of it all we see the hand of the Almighty Creator of 
heaven and earth, and of all things that therein are. 

The ride of four hours from Korsor to Copenhagen, was 
pleasantly passed in conversation with Bro. Hope. We did 
not observe the country very closely, except to notice that in 
a general way, it is very flat, and that the houses in the little 
villages are very small. We reached Copenhagen in time to 
eat a Christmas dinner with Bro. Hope's family. Sister 
Hope has been quite sick for the last three months, and is 
yet confined to her bed. She suffers much, but bears her 
sufferings with great Christian fortitude. 

Bro Hope is somewhat broken down in health; his hard 
work in the mission field, and the sickness in his family have 
made his labor very severe. But he is very full of zeal for 
the cause of the Master, and is willing to work as long as he 
can, for the salvation of souls. Both brother and sister Hope 
send hearty thanks to the members in America. We thought 
if those who have contributed to the mission work could be 
here, and see face to face, as we see, they would thank God 



4 



102 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



that he had blessed them, not only with means, but also with 
an opportunity to give, to help on the good work. 

Our first week was spent in Copenhagen, where Bro. 
Hope has his home. Here we spent some time in- visiting 
places of general interest, but we will leave these, with a de- 
scription of the old city, for another letter. In this city there 
seems to be a promising field opening for missionary work. 
Meetings are held in a hired hall, on Sunday and Wednesday 
evenings of each week, and the attendance, and general inter- 
est manifested in the preaching of the Word, are very en- 
couraging. 

There are now six members living in the city, and oth- 
ers seem to be impressed with the importance of a revival of 
primitive Christianity. The members living here have or- 
ganized a Sunday-school, and they have an attendance of 
about seventy, many of them being poor children, whom they 
have gathered in from the streets. They are certainly to be 
commended in this good work. The Sunday-school is held 
in the Brethren's hall, and much interest is manifested in it. 
We had the pleasure of speaking to the children, Bro. Hope 
acting as interpreter, and a brighter lot of little ones could 
hardly be found in any Sunday-school. They were quick to 
answer questions, showing that their teachers were not neg- 
lecting their work. 

A Baptismal Scene. 

During our stay in the city, a brother made application 
to be received into the church by baptism, and Sunday, Dec. 
30, was the day appointed to perform the ordinance. Here it 
is not an easy matter to find a suitable place to baptize; for, 
notwithstanding the fact that there is much water here, it is 
often difficult to obtain permission to use it for this purpose. 

On Saturday, with Bro. Hope, we went down to the coast 
to secure a place to baptize. According to law, no one is al- 



A BAPTISMAL SCENE. 103 

lowed to go into the water, unless they go into the bathing- 
houses, of which a great number are built along the coast. 
The water along the shore is very shallow, and the ground 
descends so gradually, that after going in 200 yards, the wa- 
ter is only two or three feet deep. The bath-houses are built 
out from the shore several hundred yards, to which they are 
connected by means of a gangway or passage. The houses 
are built on piles driven down into the bed of the sea, and 
stand about five feet above the water. Steps are placed con- 
veniently, so that one can go down from the platform into the 
water below. 

The water is as clear as crystal, and as we looked at it, 
we thought, what a nice place this will be in which to bap- 
tize. As the bathing season was over, Bro. Hope thought 
that there would be no objection raised to baptizing here, and 
with this understanding, he purchased a number of tickets. 
On Sunday, at four o'clock, after a meeting held at Bro. 
Hope's house, we went down to the water. The sun had al- 
ready gone down, and the long winter twilight, so common in 
this latitude, with its soft, mellow light, was settling down 
upon land and sea. The sky was clear, and the stars, one by 
one, came out like diamonds in the heavens. It was a beau- 
tiful evening— the closing of a bright day that we shall not 
soon forget. 

We reached the appointed place, but some objection was 
now raised to performing baptism; and in order to avoid dif- 
ficulty, and to live at peace with all men so far as possible, 
it was thought best to postpone it. The brother's heart was 
warm, and he was anxious to obey the Word, but the way to 
do so did not appear. It was now growing dark, and at sev- 
en o'clock the appointment for meeting at the hall must be 
filled by Bro. Hope. We went to the meeting-hall, and after 
the services, which were well attended, we walked several 



\ 

104 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

miles to a boat station. Here we hired a boat, and in the 
darkness of the night, we rowed out of the canal into the 
harbor, which was well filled with many ships, whose dark 
hulls and tall masts loomed up in the darkness like so many 
giants. 

We passed out of the harbor into the open- sea, and then 
rowed to a place toward the shore, where people are allowed 
to bathe from their boats. Eeaching shallow water, Bro. 
Hope and the candidate got out of the boat into the water, 
and there, ail alone in the darkness, with the starry heavens 
above us, and the waters of the sea all around us, under the 
watchful care of our Heavenly Father, Bro. Johansen was 
baptized into Christ. 

It was a baptismal scene not soon to be forgotten, and it 
made a deep impression upon our minds. As we rowed back 
to the great city, we wondered how our brethren in America 
would feel to administer baptism under such circumstances. 
We reached home after midnight, having rowed and walked 
together not far from ten miles. 

Bro. Johansen is about thirty-five years old, and we ex- 
press the hope that he will be a useful and a faithful servant 
of the Master. He speaks German quite well, and by this 
means we were able to talk to him. He also speaks the Dan- 
ish, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish tongues. He is anx- 
ious also to learn the English, and will take lessons in our 
language. May the Lord bless him, and make him useful to 
the church. 

The Churches in North Denmark. 

On Wednesday morning, Jan. 2, 1884, at 7 o'clock, we 
took the train at Copenhagen, in company with Bro. Hope, 
for a visit to the churches in North Denmark. At Korsor we 
left the train and took a steamboat for Nyborg. From here 



GOING TO MEETING. 



105 



we crossed the Island of Fyen by rail, again taking the steam- 
er at Middlef ahrt for Fredericia, situated on the mainland of 
Denmark. From this point we travelled directly north, pass- 
ing through Hjorring, where brethren Eby and Fry made 
their home during their sojourn here; then through Sindal, 
where the Brethren have a commodious meeting-house, 
which Bro. Hope pointed out to us as we passed along on the 
train. 

We reached Frederickshaven at 1 o'clock P. M., Jan. 3. 
We went to the house of Bro. Poulsen, one of the ministers 
in the Frederickshaven church. His wife, formerly Christi- 
na Fredericksen, was the first sister baptized in Denmark. 
Bro. Poulsen is a ship carpenter. He has a pleasant little 
home and is a faithful worker in the church. 

At 3 o'clock we set out afoot in a driving snow-storm for 
a walk of five miles to the place where a meeting had been 
appointed. The walk was a long and tiresome one, but Bro. 
Hope encouraged us by saying that he had many times walk- 
ed ten and twelve miles through much deeper snow to attend 
meeting. The meeting was held in a school-house in the vil- 
lage of Strandby. This is a small fishing town on the coast, 
four miles north-east of Frederickshaven. The house was 
well filled with the simple fishermen and their wives. It was, 
to us, a remarkable audience. The hardy fishermen, with 
their bronzed and weather-beaten faces, and the women, in 
their simple costume, gave the most marked attention to the 
words of the speaker. We could not help but contrast their 
conduct during the services, with that of some of the audienc- 
es we have seen in America, the difference being largely in 
favor of the fishermen of Strandby. 

After meeting we were comfortably lodged in the home 
of friend Otto Jensen, about two miles from the school-house. 
Friend Jensen has a large farm and a pleasant home. Here 

14 



106 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

we had an opportunity to learn something of farm life in 
Denmark. The next morning we took a post wagon for a 
drive of ten miles to Aalbak. From this place we walked two 
miles to the home of Bro. Sorensen. We were now well up 
towards the northern point of Denmark, and standing on a 
little sand hill, we could see, by looking west, the waters of 
the North Sea, while to the east could be seen and heard the 
waves of the Categat. 

Bro. Sorensen is a minister in the second degree, and is 
said to be a good speaker. Here a meeting and Love-feast 
were held in the brother's house. The number in attendance 
was small, but we felt that the words of the Master were ver- 
ified, and that He meets with His people, even if the number 
be but few. The Love-feast was held just as we hold it 
in America. The single mode of feet-washing was practiced. 
Indeed, it would have been impossible to fulfill the Lord's 
command on this occasion by the double mode, as only two 
sisters were present. As we sat around the Lord's table, in 
• this humble home, and saw the earnest feeling of these peo- 
ple, and how they listened . with streaming eyes, to the ac- 
count of the death .and suffering of our Savior, the words of 
the Apostle Peter came to our minds, "Of a truth, God is no 
respecter of persons. But in every nation, he that f eareth 
him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." 

We enjoyed this Love-feast very much. For some 
months we had not had the privilege of meeting with our 
brethren and sisters in worship, and it seemed good to once 
more unite with those of like precious faith. We left the 
home of Bro. Sorensen on the morning of the 5th, for Fred- 
erickshaven, Bro. Sorensen accompanying us. We reached 
Bro. Poulsen's in time for the evening meeting, appointed at 
his house. The room was filled with anxious and earnest 
listeners. Indeed, everywhere the people pay the most mark- 



I 

THE MEETING AT SINDAL. 107 

ed attention to the preaching of Bro. Hope. Saturday night 
we spent with Bro. Poulsen. He speaks a few words of Eng- 
lish, and by mixing English, German and Danish together, 
catching a word here and there, and guessing part of the 
time at his meaning, we carried on some conversation with 
him. 

On Sunday morning we left Bro. Poulsen's home for Sin- 
dal, where a meeting was appointed at one o'clock, in the 
Brethren's meeting-house, Bro. Poulsen and his wife going 
with us. At Sindal we met about forty members, represent- 
ing the Frederickshaven and Hjorring congregations. Bro. 
Neilsen is the elder in charge of the Frederickshaven church. 
He is about sixty years old and he reminded us somewhat of 
Bro. John Forney, of Kansas. Bro. Eskildsen has charge of 
the Hjorring church. He is forty-three years old, rather tall, 
with black hair, which has turned quite gray. 

At the meeting, both of the elders preached. Of course, 
we could not understand their words, but judging from the 
effect produced upon the audience by their talk, and the im- 
pressive manner of both, we should judge them to be very 
effective speakers. After the services were concluded, and 
the meeting dismissed, the members were called together in 
church council. At this council it was unanimously voted to 
send a greeting, and many thanks to the church in America, 
for their kindness and love manifested to the church in Den- 
mark, and also to send the assurance, that the church in Den- 
mark desires to stand firmly upon the principles of primitive 
Christianity, upon which they were organized. 

It was noticeable that in the transaction of this church 
work, every member voted. There were no neutrals. Often 
in our council-meetings at home, members sit still, taking no 
part in the work of the church. They seem not only to be 
neutral, but is there not also danger of their becoming drones ? 



108 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

Perhaps the church in Denmark may teach us our duty, at 
least, in this respect. 

The meeting-house has been fully described in our pa- 
pers. It is plainly and substantially built, by the side of a 
fine stream of water, to which the Brethren own the right. 
It cost $1,507.45, and it seemed to us that it was built very 
cheaply. In America, the same kind of a house would have 
cost much more money. The walls are built of brick, and 
are thick and strong. It is .called "The Brethren's Home," 
and it is really a home to them. 

After the business of the council was concluded, they re- 
mained together till long after night, singing and praying. 
At 7 o'clock, they all departed, Bro. Sorensen, to walk to his 
home, ten miles away, and another brother and sister who 
had eight miles to walk before reaching their home. If the 
brethren and sisters in America, who so liberally donated the 
money to build, this meeting-house in Denmark, could have 
been with us at this meeting, we feel sure that they would 
have all felt more than repaid, for the sacrifice they made in 
giving the money. 

We slept in the meeting-house during the night, and 
left Sindal early Monday morning to go to the church in Thy- 
land. In order to reach the latter place, we had to travel 
south to Langaa, and then north-west, until we reached the 
north-west coast of Denmark. We arrived at the station at 
about 11 o'clock at night, and then walked two miles to Bro. 
Olesen's, where we staid all night. A meeting was appoint- 
ed for the next day at 9 o'clock. Here we found the same 
feeling manifested as at other places visited. 

The church here also voted with great unanimity, to as- 
sent to the action of the churches at Sindal and Fredericks- 
haven. At two o'clock we left Bro. Olesen's house for the de- 
pot, a number of the members, both brethren and sisters, 



THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE. lUtf 

walking with us the entire distance. Bro. Olesen is a dea- 
con. He owns a few acres of land and did own five cows, but 
he sold one of his cows, and put the money into the church 
treasury to assist the poor members. He owns no horses, 
but plows his few acres by yoking his cows to his plow. 
When we think of this act of benevolence on the part of this 
poor brother, it seems wonderful. If we, in America, should 
imitate his example, what an amount of money could be rais- 
ed to spread the Gospel! The members are generally poor, J 
and those who are considered well-to-do here, would be 
thought in poor circumstances in America. But those who 
have more than they need for themselves are liberal in giv- 
ing to help the poor. 

They live very economically, using the black rye bread. 
Some of our members in America spend as much in getting 
up. a single dinner, as would keep a family of the same size 
here in Denmark for an entire week. Those who have not 
visited their homes, can scarcely realize how saving they 
must be, to make both ends meet. 

The Brethren have purchased a nice building lot near 
the railroad station, upon which, at some time in the future, 
they hope to build a meeting-house. It is 80x128 feet, and 
cost $237.74. It will, no doubt, become a valuable piece of 
ground, as the little town of Hordum, a new railroad station, 
promises to become a prominent landing-place. We left 
Thyland at 3 o'clock, P. M„ and reached Copenhagen the 
next day at 11 A. M., well pleased with our visit to the church- 
es of North Denmark. 



S 



LETTER VIII. 



The Clmrcli and Mission in Denmark— The Land 
, and People— Copenhagen. 

P||||fter our return from North Denmark, we remained 
pill several clays in Copenhagen, where we enjoyed our- 
selves very much in social intercourse with Bro. Hope's 



family, and with the members generally. They all showed 
us much kindness, and we felt sorry that our stay with them 
could not be longer, but in this world we only meet to part; 
in the bright world to come, we shall meet ne'er to sever. 

On Thursday evening, January 10th, a meeting of the 
members in Copenhagen was held at Bro. Hope's house, when 
the question of organizing a church was thoroughly discuss- 
ed; and after a general interchange of views, it was decided 
to 'organize in harmony with the general Brotherhood in 
America, and in accordance with the principles upon which 
the church in Denmark was first organized. A Love-feast 
was then appointed for the next evening, at which time it 
was also decided to hold an election for a deacon. On Fri- 
day evening, we again met together and enjoyed a refreshing 
season in religious and social intercourse with our brethren 
and sisters. Bro. Johansen was elected, and duly installed 
into the office of deacon. He desires the prayers not only of 
the church in Denmark, but also of God's people in America, 
that he may faithfully discharge the important trust given 
into his hands by the church. May the Lord keep him faith- 
ful. He may be a great help to the mission in Denmark, as 
he has already shown himself competent to work for the 
cause. 



THE DANISH MISSION. 



Ill 



The Love-feast was an enjoyable one. As at the Feast 
in North Denmark, so here, too, the members were few in 
number; but how often have we felt that God blesses the few 
as well as the many, and here in Copenhagen we again real- 
ized this truth. This was the first meeting of the kind ever 
held in this large city, and probably the first ever held in 
any of the larger cities of Europe. Some of those present 
had never before witnessed anything of the kind. All seem- 
ed to be impressed with the exercises. 

On Saturday morning, January 12th, we left Copenha- 
gen for Halle. We had thought to stop several days in 
Hamburg, and visit some places of interest there, but as wife 
was quite sick, caused by an exceedingly stormy sea voyage 
from Korsor to Nyborg, we hurried on to our German home. 
We had been away three ' weeks, and although we had enjoy- 
ed our stay in Denmark very much, we were anxious to get 
back to Halle, so that we might get our mail, as we had not 
had it forwarded to Denmark. We found a number of letters 
from home, all of which were gladly read. 

The Danish Mission. 
It is not our purpose to give a history of the mission in 
Denmark. Our people are generally well acquainted with 
its origin and history. Several years ago, Bro. Eshelman 
published a history of the Danish Mission, containing full 
details and particulars relative to the work. This little book 
can be had for « small sum by writing to the Messenger of- 
fice. We shall here only give a few facts in regard to the 
work. 

About eight years ago, Bro. Hope commenced the work 
now known to our Brotherhood as "The Danish Mission." 
Since then, over one hundred members have been received 
into the church by baptism. There are now four regularly 



H2 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

organized congregations, named respectively, Hjorring, Fred- 
erickshaven, Thyland and Copenhagen, with three elders, 
four ministers and a number of deacons. A good, substan- 
tial meeting-house has been built at Sindal, and the ground 
for another has been purchased in Thyland. The member- 
ship at present numbers about ninety. The exact number we 
did not learn. 

Of those who have been baptized, a number have moved 
to America, a few have proved unfaithful to their baptismal 
yows, and some have gone to their long home, leaving the 
church in Denmark with about the number above named. 
Looking at this work, and taking into consideration the many 
difficulties that had to be met, it may be said, that the mission 
has been a great success, and that the Lord has blessed Bro. 
Hope's work, and the efforts of the church to establish her 
doctrine in Europe. 

It may be safely said, that many churches m America, 
under more favorable circumstances, have not added to their 
numbers in the same length of time, as many members as 
have been baptized in Denmark. In Denmark, nearly all the 
people are held as communicants of the State church; and 
whilst there is great need for missionary work among them, 
yet it is extremely difficult to reach them. Whatever may 
be said in favor of the established religion in Denmark, no 
one who has given the subject any attention at all, will pre- 
tend to say that there is any amount of spiritual life m it. 
This fact is so patent, even to many of the members of the 
State church themselves, that the better class of them have 
instituted a select mission in the church, a kind of a church 
within a church, into which are gathered those who thirst for 
a higher spiritual life, and this inner church, as it may be 
called, contains the only spark of spirituality to be found m 
the organization. 



BROTHER HOPE. 



113 



The fact that men may, in a certain way, have the com- 
forts of religion, and, at the same time, lead highly immoral 
lives, makes it all the harder to reach them with the pure 
doctrines of Christ. Then, as a matter of course, the mission 
must meet the strong opposition of the clergy of the State 
church. This is only a natural result, and was, no doubt, an- 
ticipated. These, with many other difficulties, had to be met 
and overcome, before a start could be made in the work. 

Generally, only the poorer classes can be reached. But 
as these have been especially commended to us by the Savior, 
we should not be deterred from the work, for the reason, that 
only those who are poor in this world's goods, receive the 
Word. Those who first heard Christ were many of them, 
poor fishermen. 

Bro. Hope. 

We do not believe in writing eulogies on the work of 
men. It is, at least, always a good plan to wait until they 
have finished their work, before judging of its merits. In 
some cases, public expressions of thanksgiving have been ut- 
tered, that the Lord gave to the church certain men, and be- 
fore the end came, the church felt like going into sackcloth 
and ashes on account of the evil deeds of those same men, 
and the reproach they brought upon her good name. A state- 
ment of facts may be given, however, and conclusions drawn 
from them. 

Bro. Hope, it seems to us, is peculiarly fitted to carry on 
the work, so prosperously begun. First, he is thoroughly 
acquainted with the people and their language. He under- 
stands their national peculiarities, their likes and dislikes, 
and on this account he is able to reach them. He is a fluent 
speaker in the Danish, and his sermons receive the most 
marked attention, both from members and those who stand 
outside. He has won the confidence, the love and the es- 

15 



H4 LETTEES FROM EUBOPE. 

teem of all who know Mm. He is almost like a father to the 
members, who come to him with their troubles like children, 
and he is heartily in sympathy with them, and with his work. 
Wherever we went, during our visit to North Denmark, he 
left behind him a comforted and encouraged people. But he 
labors under some serious disadvantages. Sister Hope is an 
invalid and a great sufferer, and he is compelled to remain at 
home on this account, part of the time. He feels pressed by 
the duty he owes to the mission to go out, and by the duty 
he owes his family to stay with them. 

He has five children, and on their account, too, he looks 
longingly towards America. Yet, circumstanced as he is, he 
will not desert his post, but will work to the best advantage 
he can, until some one can be found to take his place, or un- 
til the work may not suffer by his going away from it. To 
send some one from America to do the work would not be a 
wise course. It would take them years to gain what Bro. 
Hope has. First, to learn the language, and then to learn 
the people, and gain their sympathy; all of which would have 
to be done before effective labor could be attempted. From 
these considerations, it would seem that, for the present, at 
least, the church ought to keep Bro. Hope at his post. Per- 
haps the Lord may indicate some one in the future for the 
work. 

The Wants of the Mission. 
What the mission especially needs, is the means to send 
out its own home ministers. The ministering brethren are 
poor, and the word means more here than it does in America. 
To leave their secular employment and go out to preach, 
even for a few days, is to cut off the food supply from their 
families. The members are also generally poor. They can- 
not pay to send out the Gospel. By the strictest economy, and 
continual hard work, the most of them are able to live; but 



FURTHER OBSERVATIONS. 



115 



when sickness and misfortunes come, they must suffer, or be 
helped by others. Hence the means to send out the preach- 
ers, must be sent to them from America. 

A few hundred dollars annually spent in this way would 
greatly aid the cause. Here are the workmen, ready to enter 
the fields, ripe for the harvest. But they must be furnished 
with the sinews of war. Will we furnish them ? The church 
in America will, without doubt, do her duty in this matter. 

An occasional visit of love, from some of our members in 
America, would also have a wonderfully encouraging influ- 
ence upon the mission and its work. The expense of such 
visits need not necessarily be so very high, and much good 
may result from them. 

In closing these observations upon the mission in Den- 
mark, we desire to urge our members in America to contrib- 
ute liberally for its support. It is a noble work, and if you 
could meet with the Danish church, you would never regret 
the means required to build it up, and would cheerfully give 
what will be required to carry it forward to a greater success 
in the salvation of souls. 

Denmark— The Land and People. 

North of Germany, extending far into the waters of the 
North Sea, is a narrow strip of land, or peninsula, which is 
set down on our maps as Denmark. It extends north, from 
the northern boundary of the German Empire, Schleswig- 
Holstein, two hundred and ten miles, to Skagen, where it ab- 
ruptly terminates in a low, barren, sandy point of land. Here 
the waters take the name of Skagerrak, and it is on this point 
of land that many vessels are lost, during the storms that so 
often prevail in this locality. 

It is regarded by sailors as an extremely dangerous coast, 
and it is often strewn with the wrecks of vessels that ply be- 



I 



HQ LETTERS EROM EUROPE. 

Ween Denmark and Norway. At the widest point, the main- 
land is not far from one hundred and fifty miles wide. It is 
somewhat irregular in shape, growing wider as we go north 
to Thyland, and then narrowing out to a point. A few miles 
north of Frederickshaven one can see the waters of the North 
Sea on the west, and of the Categat on the east. 

South and east of the mainland, in the waters of the Bal- 
tic Sea. are a number of small islands that form a part of the 
Danish Kingdom. The largest and most important of these 
are Seeland, on which is built the city of Copenhagen; Fyen, 
called the garden of Denmark; and Laaland, which lies di- 
rectly south of Seeland. The islands and the southern part 
of the mainland are rich and fertile. The land is composed 
of a rich loam, mixed with sand, and produces large crops ot 
rye, wheat, oats, barley and potatoes. Vegetables are also 
grown, cabbage especially, growing very fine and large. The 
northern part is very sandy. The land is poor, affording but 
a scanty return for the labor of the farmer. In the north are 
to be found numerous sand hills. The sand is very fine, and 
the winds carry it far over the land. 

To prevent this, the farmers plant on the sand hills a 
kind of grass that grows well in the sand. It has long, fine 
roots, and keeps the sand in its place. Without this precau- 
tion, the farmers' crops would often be destroyed by the 
sand-storms that prevail. In many places, pine trees are be- 
ing planted on the barren, sandy land. They grow here very 
rapidly, and in a few years attain to a good size. Along the 
coast the land is mostly low and flat, whilst in the central and 
southern portion, it is generally more rolling and hilly. 

In almost every part of the country, are to be found large 
beds of turf. This is formed in low, wet places by the decay- 
ing vegetation. It is cut out in square blocks, thoroughly 
dried, and is then used for fuel. In many places it is the on- 



THE COUNTRY, 



117 



ly fuel to be had. On the coast the farmers supplement their 
farm work with fishing, and by combining the two usually do 
very well. A large fish, resembling the cod-fish, is caught in 
great numbers. The flesh is as white as that of the white 
fish of Lake Michigan, and it is excellent food, being quite 
palatable. A smaller fish, something of the shape of our sun- 
fish, weighing perhaps two pounds, is also caught in great 
numbers. These are hung up and dried, and are highly priz- 
ed as food. The larger fish are sold for four to six "cere" 
per pound, about one to one and a half cents of our money. 

The People. 

Prior to 1864, Schleswig-Holstein formed a part of Den- 
mark. Germany, or, at least, that part of it known as Prus- 
sia, was anxious to round out, and strengthen her northern 
boundary, and after a short war, which resembled, in some 
respects, the battles of the giants and the pigmies, she took 
the two provinces. The Danes fought bravely to defend 
their homes and country, but against the arms of Bismarck 
they were powerless. It is a query why Prussia did not take 
the entire country, as it is but a miniature kingdom at best. 

In area it is just about one-fourth as large as the State 
of Illinois, and contains a little over one-half as many inhab- 
itants. The population, according to the last census, was 
1,784,741. That of Illinois is over three millions. And this 
little kingdom is taxed to support royalty, with an army 
numbering 35,600 officers and men —an army 10,000 greater 
in numbers than we have in America, with our fifty-five mil- 
lions of people. We are sometimes disposed to grumble over 
high taxes at home. It is our opinion that a dose of Euro- 
pean taxation would work an effectual cure of this complaint. 

Eeligiously enumerated, a little over 97 per cent of the 
entire population are held as members of the Evangelical 



HQ LETTERS EROM EUROPE. 

State Church. The following figures will show how the pop- 
ulation is divided in this respect: 
1,730,698— Evangelical. 
4,290— Jews. 
3,223— Baptists. 
2,128— Mormons. 
1,857 — Eoman Catholics. 
The balance of the population being numbered with 
smaller sects and without confession of faith. Spiritual life 
here, as in Germany, is at a low ebb. In the Danish State 
Church, this condition of things is recognized and acknowl- 
edged as we have already pointed out. 

Life among the farmers of North Denmark,— where we 
had an opportunity, by going into their houses, to study their 
mode of living— is not a pleasant nor even a comfortable one, 
viewed from the American standpoint. A very small number 
of the farmers are well-to-do, and live with some degree of 
comfort, and occasionally a wealthy farmer is found, who en- 
joys some of the luxuries of life; but for the most part, they 
are poor and suffer many privations. On the whole, they do 
not live so well as do their German neighbors. 

The houses are built quite low,— only one story high, and 
this story is often not over six or six and a half feet from 
floor to ceiling. The houses are covered with straw roofs, on 
the top of which is to be seen growing a thick matting of 
green moss, presenting a rather pleasant and novel sight. 
The interior of the houses is also far from being comforta- 
ble. In many cases, the floors are made by pounding the 
clay solid and level. This makes a good, hard floor and 
does not readily show dirt. Scrubbing floors is here entire- 
ly dispensed with. 

In one of our tramps in North Denmark, we stopped 
with a farmer, a description of whose house will serve as a 



CUSTOMS, ETC. 119 

model for many others. The farmer owned about thirty 
acres of land. The only building to be seen was the low, 
long, narrow house, with its green, moss-covered roof. The 
house was probably forty feet long and fifteen or eighteen 
feet wide. In one end the farmer lived with his family, at 
the other, he stabled his cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. 

Entering the family abode by a low door, that was scarce- 
ly high enough to admit us without stooping, we found our- 
selves in a room ten or twelve feet square. The floor was 
made as above described, and the board ceiling was only a 
few inches above our heads. In this room was a hand-loom 
and several wooden benches. Entering another door, we 
came into the living or sitting room. This was about the 
same size as the former, with the same kind of a floor. In 
one corner of the room set a small, square, cast-iron stove, in 
which were burning and smoking a few pieces of turf. Much 
of the smoke escaped into the room, filling it with a peculiar 
but not unpleasant odor. Two chairs, a table, and several 
long wooden benches completed the furniture; unless the 
bunk-like bed at one end could be called furniture. A small 
kitchen adjoined this room, from which a door opened di- 
rectly into the stable. 

The farmer and his good wife treated us very hospitably 
and showed us all the kindness in their power, showing that 
hospitality dwells not only in the palace, but also in the hov- 
el, and that kind hearts often beat under rough exteriors. 

We have described the home of a farmer in ordinary 
circumstances; some, of course, do not live so well, others, 
better. The laboring class are still worse off. Wages are 
lower than in Germany, $60 a year for a farm hand being 
about the average price. Here, as in Germany, the women 
do all kinds of hard work, and receive for their labor ex- 
tremely low wages. But many of them, with all their hard- 



120 LETTEES FBOM EUROPE. 

ship, seem contented and even happy. This again shows 
that 'happiness is from within and not from without, a condi- 
tion of the heart, not dependent upon outside surroundings; 
and may it not be true that it is oftener found in the home of 
the contented poor man, than in the abode of the rich? 

Copenhagen. 

On the western coast of the island of Seeland, where the 
waters of the Baltic Sea form Ore Sound, is built the capital 
of Denmark. Copenhagen is the resident city of the royal 
family, and ranks in importance among such cities as Bremen 
and Hamburg. It is very old and has an interesting history , 
the record— as is the case with all of these old cities— being 
stained by bloodshed and human suffering. Indeed, in the 
Middle Ages, war and rapine seemed to be the only business 
that the people took any interest in. The world has much 
to learn yet before national disputes will be settled by peace- 
ful arbitrations; but certainly a great advance has been made 
in this direction. 

Far back in the earlier centuries of the present era, the 
place was known as a fishing village under the name of Hafn. 
It was inhabited by hardy fishermen, who secured a liveli- 
hood by braving the dangers of the sea, in their perilous call- 
ing. In the year A. D. 1157, the old king Waldimar laid out 
and founded the ciiy on the site of the old fishing town, giv- 
ing it its present name, which, in Danish, is spelled Kjoben- 
havn, pronounced Yo-ben-hawn, and signifying "merchants' 
haven," or the haven of the trades-people. It sustains its 
name well, and has become a place of considerable commer- 
cial importance. 

It has the best and the safest harbor on the coasts of the 
Baltic, and here may be seen ships from many parts of the 
world. There is a regular line of steamers plying between 



COPENHAGEN. 



121 



this city and New York. Whilst in Copenhagen, we visited 
the harbor several times. One day, we noticed a ship being 
unloaded. Hundreds of large, heavy, strongly-hooped bar- 
rels were lying on the wharf, and others were being taken out 
of the ship. Upon examination, the barrels were found to 
contain lard, bearing the stamp of N. K. Fairbanks & Co., 
Chicago, 111. 

We wondered if Germany was not getting a supply of 
American lard via Copenhagen. By law, American hog 
products are prohibited in Germany; but after landing it at 
Copenhagen, it might possibly find its way into Germany as 
Danish lard. In the capacious harbor floats also the Danish 
( navy, or ships of war, for "Little Denmark" must have a navy 
as well as an army. And in this respect, as well as in her 
army, she excels the United States. 

The population of the city, according to the census of 
1880, including its suburbs, was 240,000, or a little less than 
half the size of Chicago. About 13 per cent of the entire pop- 
ulation of the kingdom live in the city. In the old times, it 
was a strongly fortified place, and the walls and fortifications 
still remain, although the city has long since over-leaped 
wall and ditch, and now reaches out far beyond its original 
boundaries. The fortifications were strong, and well arrang- 
ed to resist the attacks of the foe. 

First, a deep ditch, or, more properly, a canal, perhaps 
one hundred yards in width, was dug around the fortified 
city. This was filled with water, so that the place was sur- 
rounded by a little river, which was crossed at convenient 
points by bridges, with secret arched ways, so that soldiers 
could pass out unobserved. Inside of the canal was the first 
line of earthworks, built very strong, and back of this, anoth- 
er line fully as strong, if not stronger than the first. 

16 



122 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



It would seem almost impossible for an army to take the 
city; but, notwithstanding its great strength, it was taken sev- 
eral times. In 1807, the English bombarded Copenhagen, 
destroying over two thousand houses, and killing three thou- 
sand of the inhabitants. The old fortifications are now plant- 
ed with many trees, making a beautiful park> and fine prom- 
enade. It must be delightful, especially in summer, to walk 
around among these old fortifications, under the shade of the 
spreading branches of the huge forest trees. 

In 1479, the Danish University was founded in this city 
by Christian L, and is now in a flourishing condition, having 
an annual attendance of over one thousand students. Here 
is also a fine library, containing two hundred thousand vol- 
umes, and over four thousand manuscripts. Connected with 
the University is a very large and excellently arranged zoo- 
logical museum, containing many objects of interest. The 
skeleton of one of the largest species of the whale, is to be 
seen here. The bones are articulated, or put together by 
means of heavy iron wire. It is about 100 feet long, and is 
simply immense in its proportions. The jaws are extended, 
and it would seem that the mouth of the animal, when open- 
ed to its utmost extent, was large enough to allow a number 
of men to stand upright in it. 

The museum contains several skeletons of this species of 
the whale, but the one we have in part described is much the 
largest. Looking at this immense frame-work, and the mas- 
sive bones of what was once a living, moving animal, and re- 
membering that the sea contains, in regular gradations of 
size, ranging from this monster of the great deep, down to the 
infinitesimal forms of animal life, many of which are so small 
that a microscope is necessary to reveal them, we were led to 
wonder at, and to admire the wonderful works of the Creator 
of the Universe, who formed them all and gave them life. 



COPENHAGEN. 



123 



The king's residence is a fine building, quite large, and 
is constantly guarded by soldiers in full dress uniform. The 
soldiers wear huge caps or hats, very high, made of bear-skin 
tanned with the fur on. They present an odd appearance. 
The officers wear a neat and tasty uniform. One sees, in all 
of these European cities, many uniformed men. Here every 
citizen has a taste of army life. What a comment it is upon 
the Christianity of the so-called Christian nations of Eu- 
rope, that they must sustain immense standing armies to pro- 
tect their interests and their rights from the encroachments 
of each other. If they were Christians in practice as well as 
in name, if they would allow the teaching of Christ to have a 
place in their hearts, they might, with the utmost safety, dis- 
band their armies, and learn the art of Avar no more. But 
perhaps it is even too much to suggest such a thing. It will 
only come to pass in the millennial age. 

Far outside of the old city limits, and nearly surround- 
ing the city on the land side, is a fine lake. It is perhaps an 
eighth of a mile wide. Houses are built on either side of it, 
and rows of great forest trees grow on its banks, making a 
pleasant place. Altogether, Copenhagen is an interesting 
city to visit. It is, however, much pleasanter in the summer 
than in the winter. From fall until spring, the weather is 
usually very damp, with much fog, rain and snow, making a 
winter visit not very pleasant. 

We hear of the extreme cold at home. One account says 
forty degrees below zero at Mt. Morris. Here at Halle we 
have had only a few days cold enough to form ice. This month 
has been much like a spring month. On the way to Leipzig, 
a few days ago, we noticed the farmers plowing. 




LETTER IX. 



Our German Home— The Old Celts— August Hermann 
Francke and his Orphan Asylum— The 
Halloren— Legends. 

axle, our German home, is one among the oldest of 
German towns, and has some points of general interest 
'^tp^ that may serve for the subject of a letter. The first in- 
habitants of Germany were the ancient Celts, who lived here 
long before the beginning of the Christian Era. It was in 
their time that the salt springs at this place are said to have 
been discovered, which are yet owned and worked by a sin- 
gular race of people now called Halloren, who are thought to 
be direct descendants of the Celts. We shall have some- 
thing more to say of these peculiar peotjle. 

Centuries preceding the birth of Christ, the Germanic 
tribes came out of Asia, and settled in Germany. They were 
a strong, powerful, warlike race, and soon overpowered the 
Celts, who, in a short time, entirely disappeared. The only 
traces of them to be found in Germany, is the remnant that 
still exists here in Halle. The Germans not only overran all 
of Germany, but they also descended upon the coasts of 
Great Britain, and became the forefathers of the English 
people. 

The old Germans were, of course, heathens and had 
many gods, wdioxn they worshiped in sacred groves instead of 
temples, and, in some instances, sacrificed human beings to 
appease the anger, and obtain the favor of their idols. The 
names of their principal deities were, in the order of impor- 
tance, first, Woden, Thor and Freya. The names of these 



francke's orphan asylum. 



125 



old German deities have come down to ns through the Eng- 
lish descendants of the Germans, and we perpetuate them in 
our almanacs. From Woden vve have Wednesday, originally 
written Wodensday. Thor was supposed to control the 
thunder and lightning, and the Germans called him Donner, 
from whence they get their "Donnerstag" and we our Thurs- 
day, formerly Thorsday. From Freya comes the German 
"Freitag," and our Friday. In the fifth century, the Ger- 
mans, under Chlodwig, gave up the worship of their idols 
and embraced Christianity. 

It w r as away back in these dim centuries of the past that 
Halle was founded. It may be said that it is of Celtic origin. 
It is now a city of considerable importance, having, accord- 
ing to the last census, a population of over 71,000. It is the 
seat of a flourishing university, founded in 1694, and has now 
in attendance something over 1,600 students. It also con- 
tains the great University Library with over a half million 
volumes. 

Francke's Orphan Asylum. 

But one of the most interesting features of the city is 
the Orphan Asylum, established by August Hermann 
Francke, in the year 1692. This celebrated man was born in 
Luebeck, March 12, 1663. He was educated partly by the 
energy of his mother, his father having died when he was a 
youth, — and in his sixteenth year, entered the university, 
where he studied theology. He came to Halle in 3 anuary, 
1692, as a preacher. Here he at once entered upon his work 
with great zeal. 

At that time, common schools were not so easily to be 
found as they are now, and the poorer classes were very ig- 
norant. As bad as the condition of the laboring class is now, 
it was much w-orse then. Many poor orphan children were 
turned out upon the streets to beg or starve. Francke was 



126 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

filled with, pity for these unfortunates, and at once concluded 
to make an effort to save them. It is said when he began his 
work, he had only twelve marks (about three dollars), with 
which to found what has since grown to be the largest orphan 
asylum, and the best school of its kind in Germany. 

He began by trying to induce the poor children to attend 
the town schools, he paying out of his own scanty means, 
their tuition and furnishing their books. Many of them, 
however, at first sold or traded their books away, but he kept 
on in the good work; nothing seemed to discourage him. He 
now placed a box on the wall in his room, over which was 
written the following passage from 1 John 3: 17, "But whoso 
hath this world's goods, and seeth his brother have need, and 
shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwell- 
eth the love of God in him?" and underneath the box, "Ev- 
ery man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him 
give; not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheer- 
ful giver." 2 Cor. 9:7. By this means he received at first 
only about seventy-five cents a week; but it was a beginning. 
He trusted in God, and whilst he never asked for human aid, 
yet he often appealed to the Lord for help. 

About six months after the box had been placed upon 
the wall, a pious lady dropped into it a sum of money amount- 
ing to a little over three dollars, and this money, with such 
additions as were afterwards made to it, became the capital 
with which the great Orphans' Asylum, now to be seen in 
Halle, was founded. When Francke found this, to him large 
sum of money in his box, he said, "This is an honorable cap- 
ital, therewith must we establish something good. I will 
start an orphans' school with it." The same day he purchas- 
ed books for one dollar and a half, fitted up a little school- 
room next to his study, and with one poor boy began his work. 
His "poor box," as he called it, furnished him with more 



francke' s orphan asylum. 



127 



money, and soon his little school contained sixty scholars. 
This was in the year 1695. The work grew on his hands, un- 
til the weekly receipts from donations and free-will offerings 
reached seventy-five dollars. Rooms were secured in other 
buildings, assistant teachers were hired, and the orphans and 
outcasts were gathered in. 

He now began to feed and clothe the poor, as well as to 
teach them. He was often reduced to great necessity, and at 
times it appeared that the work must fail, but his trust in 
God never wavered. At one time when he had three hun- 
dred hungry orphans to feed, and the workmen on his build- 
ing to pay, he was without a single penny. The foreman pre- 
sented his bill. Francke asked him to come a little later, 
and he withdrew to his chamber as he says in a letter, "To 
carry our wants before the Lord; and while I was praying, a 
letter came from a rich merchant, containing one thousand 
dollars; then I thought upon the words, 'Before they cry will 
I hear them, and while they speak will I answer them.' I 
returned into my chamber not to pray, but to thank and praise 
the name of the Lord." 

In 1698 the cornerstone of the main building of the Or- 
phan's Home and School was laid. As they were digging the 
foundation, one of the workmen dug up an old Roman coin, 
bearing the following significant words, "Jehovah, the build- 
er will finish the building." This was taken as an omen of 
good luck, and although he did not have sufficient money in 
hand to finish the foundation walls, yet with a firm trust in 
the Lord, the work was carried forward. 

About this time, Francke preached a sermon upon "Our 
duty to the poor." One of his students took a number of 
printed copies to Leipzig, and sold them on the street. The 
business of printing and selling books was in this way start- 
ed, in connection with the Orphan's Home, and so rapidly 



128 



LETTERS FBOM EUROPE. 



did it grow, that up to 1870, over 5,000,000 copies of the Bi- 
ble had been printed and sold, besides an immense number of 
other books. 

The building was completed in 1700, and opened on the 
29th of April, of that year. The building stands to-day as it 
was finished 184 years ago, and our visit to it was an inter- 
esting one. The work begun so long ago in faith and trust, 
in such a small way, has grown to be a giant. Francke died 
in the year 1727, aged sixty-four, at which time over 2,000 
pupils were enrolled in his school. Other buildings were 
erected as needed, until at present, there are in attendance at 
the schools over 4,000 pupils, and about 150 teachers are em- 
ployed. 

The main buildings, of which there are two rows, stand- 
ing about sixty feet apart, are over 1,100 feet long, and four 
stories high. At either end of the long street, are also two 
large buildings. Besides these, there are a number of other 
buildings, all used in the work of the institution. The school 
is a graded one, and carries students through the higher 
• branches of learning, fitting them for the University. It is 
said to be the best organized and systematized school of the 
kind in Germany. 

In our rambles around the place, we were shown the 
sleeping quarters of the orphans. Probably 100 of them 
sleep in a large room. Everything is kept nice and clean, 
and they certainly have a comfortable home. "We also visit- 
ed the printing department. Here we found eight cylinder 
presses, six of which were running, the most of them being 
used for printing Bibles. Of these, there have been printed 
and sold since the institution started, probably over 6,000,- 
000 copies. The book-store which was started so long ago on 
a wooden table, in the streets of Leipzig, occupies a large 



prancke's orphan asylum. 



129 



room in the main building, and is an important part of the 
work of the "Home." 

At one end of the long avenue, stands a bronze statue of 
Francke. On either side of him is the figure of a child, pre- 
sumably an orphan. His right hand rests on the head of one 
of the children, whilst the left hand is pointed heavenward. 
On the pedestal is Francke's name, under which appears the 
simple inscription in German, "JEr vertraute Goti" — "He 
trusted God." Who shall undertake to estimate the impor- 
tance of his work? Who shall circumscribe the influence of 
his pious, devoted life, and the example of his earnest, unwa- 
vering trust in God? We wish the story of his life were 
translated and printed in English, and that every one of our 
readers could have a copy of it. His example has inspired 
other men to follow in his footsteps. . 

Mueller, of Bristol, England, whose great work at that 
place in the interest of the poor and unfortunate orphans, 
has been the marvel of our age, received his inspiration for 
the work in Halle. When a young man, he studied in the 
University here, and also took a lively interest in the Or- 
phans' Home. He went to England full of the spirit of trust 
that characterized the life of Francke, and there founded 
what has grown under his hand to be the largest orphans' 
home in the world, and all without ever asking any human 
being for a penny. 

And so the influence of Francke's life and example is 
still widening. As a stone, dropped into the still waters of a 
calm and placid lake, sets in motion the ripples that go on 
and on until they reach the farther shore, so, too, is this in- 
fluence reaching out into the world, and it will go on until 
the end comes, and then, and only then, can the importance 
and the magnitude of the little work begun in an obscure 
German town, be estimated. 

17 



130 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



The Halloren. 

The singular people known as the Halloren, who have 
lived here for many centuries, and whose history carries us 
back to the uncertain age of tradition, are said to be the di- 
rect descendants of the ancient Celts. They are entirely 
distinct and separate from their German neighbors, and have 
for all these centuries kept up their customs, and their pecu- 
liar style of dress. They adhere with religious strictness to 
their ancient usages, even to the cut and the material and 
color of their clothing. The men wear a peculiar shaped, 
three cornered hat, knee breeches, the lower part of the leg 
being covered with heavy woolen stockings, low shoes with 
large buckles, a kind of a military coat, that reaches nearly 
to the knees, with an abundance of brass buttons in front. 
In the winter they wear a cloak over their shoulders, reach- 
ing to the knees. The women also have a peculiar, but rath- 
er pretty costume. 

One sees the Halloren at all the funerals that take place 
in the city; and they form an interesting part of the long 
processions that usually follow the dead to their last resting- 
place. This is too, an old custom that has almost become a 
law, and it was started in this way. Some hundreds of years 
ago, one of the great plagues, that so often visited Europe in 
the Middle Ages, came upon Halle, At that time it was a 
small town, containing probably from fifteen to twenty thous- 
and souls. Seven thousand of the people died in less than a 
year. All who were able to get away, left the city, and only 
the Halloren, with the sick and dying remained. They brave- 
ly stood by the sick and carried the dead to the grave; it 
must have been a gloomy time for them, but they nobly did 
their duty. Since then they have a place at the funerals, a 
rather solemn recognition of the courage and bravery of these 
old Celts. 



> 



THE HALLOREN. 



131 



Another instance is given of their bravery. In the 
eighth century, when the great French King, known in his- 
tory as Charlemagne, was returning from one of his wars, 
there were with him twelve Halloren. They were almost 
giants in size and strength. Their swords, nearly seven feet 
long, are still preserved in the old Halloren church here. 
The King, as an evidence of his esteem, and in recognition 
of their bravery, presented them with the horse he had rid- 
den in the war, as well as his battle nag. ' He also made a 
decree that every prince who should rule over the Halloren, 
should present them with a horse and a flag, and that they 
should have the free right to hunt and fish. This old custom 
started so long ago, is still kept up. 

The present king and emperor, William, when he ascend- 
ed the throne in 1860, presented them with a splendid horse. 
On their part, ever since the time of Charles the Great, they 
have on every New Year's day, sent the reigning king a pres- 
ent of salt, bread and eggs, with congratulations and kind 
wishes for his prosperity during the year. 

They own and manage the salt works in Halle, and are 
generally well-to-do. It is said, however, that their numbsr 
is gradually diminishing, and probably, in a few centuries, 
they, too, will have become extinct altogether; with their old 
and peculiar customs, and their very singular history, they 
are a very interesting people. 

An old tradition says, that the Apostle Peter visited this 
part of Germany in his missionary travels; they even point 
out the place where he preached, an old church, called Pe- 
tersburg, marking the spot. There is nothing whatever in 
history to substantiate this old tradition, and like many oth- 
ers of a like character, it is highly improbable. In the Mid- 
dle Ages such stories were readily believed by by the ignor- 
ant masses, who accepted the statement of priests as being 



132 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

the truth, and it was an easy matter to have a church built 
upon a so-called sacred spot. Indeed these stories were oft- 
en started in order to draw money from the simple-minded 
peasants, for the purpose of erecting churches, it being held 
by the preacher, that the ends justify the means. 

Giebiciien stein. 

Within half an hour's walk from our home, on the river 
Saale, stands a high bluff or rock; it is probably one hundred 
and fifty feet high; the river flows along at its base. This 
was supposed in the olden time, to be the dwelling-place of 
one of the minor German deities, named "Giebich," he was 
supposed to rule over the evil spirits, and had his home in 
the rocks. The place is called to-day Giebichenstein. 

In the early centuries a large castle was built on the 
height, which is now in ruins. We visited these ruins and 
found them very interesting. The main tower is yet standing, 
and is kept in repair by the government. It contains a large 
clock and furnishes the villagers with the correct time. The 
walls in many places are standing, but the buildings are en- 
tirely destroyed. The only part of the old castle that retains 
its original shape, is the dungeon and prison. The dungeon 
is partly cut into the solid rock, and is a dismal and gloomy 
looking place. 

For many years, during the 10th and 12th centuries, it 
was maintained as a prison, and few prisoners ever again saw 
the light of day, who entered its gloomy portals. The Ger- 
mans had an old saying that runs in this wise: 

"Wer da kommt nach Giebichenstein, 
Der kommt selten wieder heim." ■ 

which may be translated: 

•'Whoever comes to Giebichenstein, 
Seldom returns to his home again. 



COUNT LUDWIG'S ESCAPE. 



133 



An old legend, however, tells of one prisoner who escap- 
ed from the dark dungeon. This was Count Ludwig of Thu- 
ringia. 

In the year 1070 he had been imprisoned by command of 
the Emperor. He was placed in the dark dungeon, the en- 
trance to which was constantly guarded by twelve armed men. 
Here he was kept for two years. By feigning sickness, he 
finally so far prevailed upon the sympathies of his keepers, 
that they removed him from the dungeon, to a prison room 
that had a small window looking out upon the river, which 
flowed along, over 100 feet below. Here he did not apparent- 
ly improve in health, and he desired a pen, ink, and paper, 
so that he might write his will. He wrote his will, and also 
a letter which he threw out of the window unobserved. The 
letter was addressed to his friends, whom he believed would 
be watching constantly for an opportunity to rescue him. He 
told them in the letter, that on a certain night he would jump 
out of the window into the river, and that they should be 
there to rescue him, dead or alive. When the night came for 
the perilous feat, the count sprang from the window, at a mo- 
ment when his guards' attention was turned away from him. 
His faithful friends were near by in boats, they drew him 
out of the water uninjured, and paddled quickly to the oppo- 
site side of the stream, where they mounted horses provided, 
and were soon speeding towards the count's strong castle, in 
the Thuringian forests. He reached his home in safety, and 
ever after bore the name of "Ludwig, der Springer." 

Whether this story be true or not, it is given with dates 
and strong evidence of its truth. We stood on the edge of 
the cliff and looked clown to the river below, and thought we 
should not like to take the leap. The river has changed its 
course, for it has been filled in so that its bank is now 80 feet 
from the rocks. 



134 LETTERS FKOM EUROPE. 

From the top of the cliff one has a delightful view of 
Halle and the surrounding country. We visited the place on 
the 30th day of January, a bright, warm, sunshiny clay that 
reminded us of our May days at home. Coming home in the 
afternoon, we received our mail from America, containing ac- 
counts of the extreme cold weather,— thermometer 40 degrees 
below zero, and for the time we felt glad we were not there. 

Another old castle partly in ruins stands on the banks of 
the river in Halle. It is called Moritzburg. It is an im- 
mense building, surrounded by a moat or ditch, and was en- 
tered in olden times by a draw-bridge. The moat was filled 
with water, and when the bridge was drawn up, and the huge 
doors closed, the castle was inaccessible. It was partly de- 
stroyed in the terrible Thirty Years' War that followed the 
Keformation, and is now owned by the government, and used 
as a barrack for soldiers. All of these old castles have sto- 
ries and legends innumerable connected with them, of haunt- 
eel rooms and mysteries, of tales of valor and personal bravery, 
all of which have some interest, but they are, for the most 
part, traditionary and incredible. 

We shall always remember Halle as a place where we 
spent some months very pleasantly and profitably, and shall 
not soon forget the kindness and the generous good nature of 
the friends we found in the ancient Celtic town, which was, 
for a short season, "Our German home." 



LETTER X. 



JEn Route to Palestine— Municli— Venice— Trieste 




' '^fc ' ' somewhat dangerous journey, we naturally ask our- 
selves the question, what is the object in making this long, 
and in some respects, dangerous journey? Is it only a desire 
to visit the noted places in Palestine to gratify an idle curios- 
ity? We hope not. No doubt the most of our readers have 
had at times, a strong desire to visit the scenes of the life, 
the sufferings, and the death of the Kedeemer of mankind. 

In some, this feeling is perhaps stronger than in others, 
and with us it has always been strong. It was the dream of 
our youth, and in later years we have often looked forward to 
the time, when under the blessing of our Heavenly Father, 
we might undertake the journey, and visit the land which, 
above all others, must ever be of the most absorbing interest 
to all Christians. Primarily, then, it was the desire to visit, 
and to study the land, in connection with the Book, that has 
led us to make the trip. 

Secondarily, the trip was undertaken to write a series of 
letters for the Gospel Messenger. We start out feeling that 
the task is not a light one, and as the time comes on for the 
work, we begin it with some reluctance. We are fearful that 
our readers may expect too much, and, in the end, be disap- 
pointed, but we shall do the best we can, and leave the result 
in the hands of the Lord. 



138 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

We left Halle on Monday, February 18th, 1884, a bright, 
beautiful day, just cold enough to make it enjoyable. So far 
we have been most fortunate in having delightful weather, 
and we hope that the first few days of our journey towards 
the Holy Land, may be harbingers of what is to follow. 

From Halle to Leipzig— the great publishing city of 
Europe— took an hour's time, and then an all-night ride, 
southward, brought us at 8 o'clock, A. M., on the 19th, to the 
capital of Bavaria, 

Munich-. 

This was our first stopping place, and here we spent a 
part of two days, in visiting this wonderful city, which, for 
its size, population about 230,000, is said to be among the fin- 
est in Europe. It is the residence of the king, and is noted 
for its fine galleries of oil paintings, its museums of antiqui- 
ties, its public library of nearly one million volumes,— which 
is next to that in Paris, the largest in the world,— and the 
king's palace— a remarkable building, said to be the finest 
and most interesting palace in Europe. 

The public library is especially rich in rare and valuable 
old books and manuscripts. Among the books here to be 
seen, may be mentioned the Bible used by Luther, during 
his life-time, containing his own and Melanchthon's portraits. 
The manuscripts are especially valuable, and are preserved 
with great care, in a hall set apart for that purpose. Here 
are to be found manuscripts of the Gospels, dating back to 
the sixth century. One of these, called the Codex purpureus, 
is written on purple vellum, in letters of silver and gold. 

These ancient manuscripts are of incalculable value to 
the Christian world, and it is well that they are preserved 
with such great care. 

The national museum is an immense building, nearly 
600 feet long, and is well worth a visit, containing as it does, 



MUNICH. 137 

many objects of interest. It is said to be the -best and rich- 
est collection of antiquities in the world. Others excel in a 
single line, as Berlin, for instance, in Egyptian antiquities, 
but this is far the most complete general collection. 

To attempt a description of all we saw at Munich, would 
be a task too great to undertake, and we shall not attempt it. 
We wandered through the city until we were thoroughly tir- 
ed. In one of our walks we saw the king. He was out rid- 
ing in his great state carriage. The horses, four in number, 
were richly caparisoned in gold-mounted harness, with im- 
mense white plumes, waving at their heads. On top of the 
carriage, were seated four richly dressed officers ; they, too, 
had large white plumes on their hats. 

As the carriage dashed by us with all of its kingly pomp 
and circumstance, we could not help but contrast the style 
and display, with the plain, every-day appearance of William, 
Emperor of Germany. He rides out unattended almost like 
a private citizen. 

We concluded that among these petty kings of Germany, 
show and display increases in proportion to the smallness of 
their territories. What they lack in this direction, they aim 
to make up in fuss and feathers. Unfortunately this same 
disease attacks some people who are not kings, and leads 
them into many difficulties. It is called keeping up appear- 
ances, and has ruined some otherwise pretty good people. 

In Munich, wood is used for fuel largely instead of coal, 
and at a number of places on the street we saw women busily 
sawing, splitting, and carrying in wood. It seems to us that 
there is something radically wrong in this country, and for 
that matter, in our own, too, that while some spend millions 
in lavish display, and extravagant living, others toil and la- 
bor in penury and want. This may be the logical result of 
the present condition of society. If so, it might be well to 

18 



138 LETTEES FROM EUROPE. 

consider whether the present condition of society is a correct 
one. . 

Munich enjoys the not enviable reputation o£ producing 
the most beer of any city in the world, and of drinking it 
too. 

They have here a singular law in force. By its provis- 
ions no poor people are allowed to marry, unless they can 
show to the satisfaction of the Poor Commissioners, that they 
have enough money to support a family. If the Poor Com- 
missioner fails to do his duty, and allows marriages to take 
place in his district among the poor, he is held responsible 
for the maintenance of the families resulting from such un- 
ions. The law has the effect of preventing improvident mar- 
riages. 

From Munich our course was south, through the Austri- 
an Alps, into Italy. The scenery is grand, and reminds one 
of the Eocky Mountains, with this difference, that here in ev- 
ery valley, at the foot of the mountain peaks, is nestled a pret- 
ty little village. The mountain tops are covered with snow, 
and this is often loosened from the steep mountain side. It 
forms an avalanche, and rushing down with an irresistible 
force carries death and destruction to the homes of the 
peaceful villagers. 

One is constantly reminded of the religious belief of the 
people of these mountain districts, by seeing numbers of cru- 
cifixes and shrines set up all along the mountain roads. The^ 
crucifixes are set up on posts by the wayside. The post is 
fastened securely in the ground, and to one side of it is nail- 
ed an open, diamond-shaped box, perhaps two and a half feet 
high, and one and a half wide at the highest and widest 
points. It is perhaps four inches deep, and the open side of 
the box faces the road. Into this box is fastened a figure of 
our Savior on the cross, carved out of wood, and painted 



ON TO ITALY. 



139 



white. The boxes were mostly painted red, and it is safe to 
say that we noticed a hundred of them during our ride 
through the Alps. At other places little stone buildings per- 
haps four feet by six, and seven feet high, with open fronts, 
were to be seen. In these small structures against the wall 
is painted the figure of the Virgin Mary, or one of the many 
saints, and at these shrines the faithful Catholic, as he pass- 
es along the road, stops either to cross himself or pray. 

In these mountains was the famous St. Bernhard Con- 
yent. The monks were noted for their hospitality to stran- 
gers. In the winter they sent out their dogs to search for lost 
or belated travelers, and many are the tales told of the rescue, 
by these faithful animals, of those who were lost in the snow. 
And now these dangerous mountain passes are cross- 
ed by the railway, and hundreds pass over them every day, 
and the occupation of the dogs and monks of St. Bernhard is 
gone. 

At Ala we pass into Italy, and here we must change cars, 
and also have our baggage examined. We submit to this 
formality, opening our satchels, and satisfying the polite offi- 
cials that we carry nothing contraband. In changing cars 
we got our first impression of Italy, and of the Italians, and 
it was not a favorable one. The cars were dirty, poorly light- 
ed and poorly heated, and were not nearly so comfortable as 
the German cars. 

The Italians are noted for being dirty, and we have come 
to the conclusion that they maintain that , reputation pretty 
well. They speak a very musical language; it contains none 
of the harsh sounds of the German and English, and they ap- 
pear to be a happy, careless, easy-going sort of people. One 
can see a great difference between them and the Germans, 
with the difference largely in favor of the Germans. 



140 



LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 



We found some trouble in understanding the directions 
given by the conductor, in Italian, but were fortunate enough 
to fall in with a German family, who understood the Italian; 
they, with the usual good will of the Germans, took us in 
charge, and landed us safely at Venice, where we are at this 
writing. Here we expect to meet the party from London, 
and depart to-morrow for Athens. 

Venice. 

Venice, the "Queen of the Adriatic," as she has been 
called in song and story for centuries past stands at the head 
of the Adriatic Sea, in the Bay or Gulf of Venice. This city 
of the sea is built on a number of very small islands, and is 
entirely surrounded by the waters of the bay. From its sin- 
gular situation in the water, and its peculiar and interesting 
history, it may be called, in some respects at least, one of the 
most remarkable cities of the world. 

Its harbor is protected from the storms and swells of the 
Adriatic by a mole or breakwater, several miles in length. 
This work is much admired on account of its extent and so- 
lidity. It is built of large blocks of Istrian marble, and must 
have cost an immense sum of money. 

The city, built as it is, on the small islands and partly in 
the water, is permeated in every direction by a great number 
of canals. The largest and main one of them is called the 
Grand Canal, and passes through the city in a serpentine 
course. It is probably one hundred and fifty feet wide, and 
is intersected by one hundred and forty-seven smaller water- 
courses. These canals form the water streets of Venice, and 
give it a singular appearance. 

Nearly the entire traffic and intercourse of the city is 
carried on by means of boats, called gondolas. The gondola 
is a long, narrow boat, about twenty feet long, and four feet 
wide in the centre, gradually tapering to a point at either 



VENICE. 



141 



end, the bow terminating in a curved metal neck and head, 
giving the boat a graceful appearance. According to an an- 
cient law gondolas are all painted black, giving them rather 
a funereal aspect. In the centre, is a nicely furnished, 
little cabin, large enough to admit four persons, fitted up 
with cushioned seats, glass windows, curtains and carpets. 
The gondolas belonging to the wealthy classes are very finely 
and artistically decorated, large sums of money being spent 
on them. They are very comfortable, and afford an easy, 
safe, and rapid means of travel through and about the city. 
The gondola fills the place of coaches, carriages, wagons, and 
drays of other cities and towns. 

Horseback or carriage riding in Venice is entirely out 
of the question, as the streets that are to be found are ex- 
tremely narrow, from three to five feet being the usual width. 
In many of them, one may easily, by stretching out the arms 
at full length touch the walls of the buildings on either side 
at the same time. . Horses are never seen in the city, and it 
is safe to say that there are people living there who have nev- 
er seen one of these animals, and to whom a horse would be 
as much of a curiosity as are some of the wild animals of the 
East to us. 

The hotels and dwelling-houses all have entrances from 
the canal. Stone steps lead down to the water's edge, where 
the gondolas are brought, and unload or receive their passen- 
gers. The canals are crossed by three hundred and six arch- 
ed bridges, and as these are only used by foot passengers, 
they are very narrow and steep, and are built with steps at 
either side. We spent a number of hours in a gondola, and 
enjoyed seeing the sights of the city, and the quiet, easy, yet 
rapid motion of the boat very much. The boatman, called a 
gondolier, stands a few feet from the stern of the boat, and, 
with a long oar, propels it very rapidly through the water. 



142 LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

One cannot help but admire the skill and dexterity of 
the gondolier. He threads the narrow and intricate canals 
of the city, turning abrupt corners, meeting and passing in- 
numerable other gondolas, with a precision and rapidity that 
are simply wonderful. We were constantly expecting to come 
in collision with other boats or the corners of houses, but the 
gondolier, without changing his position, and plying his long 
oar on the one side of the boat only, was entirely master of 
the situation, and no matter how near his boat came to anoth- 
er, or to some projecting corner, yet, when we thought a col- 
lision was surely inevitable, we always passed the point of 
danger safely, with some inches to spare. One soon learns 
to trust the skill of the boatman, and feels quite secure, skim- 
ming along over the blue waters of the city. Our course led 
us along the length of the grand canal, and it is a wonderful 
scene. The broad avenue of water was filled with gondolas, 
moving along as gracefully as if they were so many huge 
swans on the waters of some placid lake. The day was a 
bright, clear one, and the air was as warm and balmy as a 
May clay at home. On either side of the canal, many beauti- 
ful palaces and fine houses are to be seen, rising, as it were, 
out of the water. Many of them are built of marble, and are 
finely decorated with statuary and carvings. The view is a 
fine one and full of novelty to the traveler. 

Along the line of the smaller canals, the buildings are 
not so fine, and, in many places, owing to the dampness, the 
walls do not present a pleasing appearance. The water in 
the canals is about ten feet deep, and is quite salt; this, to- 
gether with the flow and ebb of the tide, which produces a 
current, keeps the water, to some extent, pure and clean. If 
the waters were fresh, the city would be uninhabitable; as it 
is, however, it is said to be very healthy. It is a place that 
would be likely to please for a short time by its novelty, but 



VENICE. 



143 



the absence of broad streets, gardens, parks, and grassy front 
door-yards, would be felt, and it seemed to us that life in Yen- 
ice would soon grow very monotonous. 

A walk through the narrow streets of the city, and over its 
numerous bridges, gave us some idea of the customs and hab- 
its of the people. The narrow streets are, in many places, 
lined with little shops or stores, very small, very dark, and 
exceedingly dirty. Here are offered for sale many of the 
commodities of Italy and other parts of Europe. The streets 
are usually crowded, and the venders of various articles are 
constantly crying out, in order to attract the attention of the 
buyer. The scene is a busy one, and presents quite a con- 
trast to the quiet, steady, easy-going life in a German city. 

At many places, in front of the small shops, are to be 
found stoves, on which, in large iron kettles, are cooked po- 
tatoes and turnips unpared. These are purchased by the 
poorer classes, and eaten on the streets. At other shops, 
small fish were fried very brown and crisp, and, with large 
dishes of cooked macaroni, were offered for sale. From what 
we saw of these cheap eating-houses, with all of their dirt 
and filth, we felt pretty sure that the class of Italians who 
patronize them, eat their share of dirt. 

In Germany, the women carry their baskets on their 
backs; here the baskets are carried on the head, and it is sur- 
prising to see what loads they do carry in this way. The 
large basket is set on the head, and so nicely balanced, that 
they never put their hands to it, except to put it up or down. 

One street in Venice, the finest in the city, twelve feet 
wide, is an exception to the rule. Here are congregated the 
finest shops and stores, and it is quite a relief to walk through 
it, after being penned in so closely by dirty brick walls. This 
street leads to the Eialto, the old-time board of trade of Yen- 
ice, near by which is the house of the Jew Shylock, so well 



\4A LETTERS FROM EUROPE. 

known as one of Shakespeare's characters in the Merchant of 
Venice. The Eialtois simply a square, surrounded by hous- 
es with alcoves. Here, centuries ago, the merchants of the 
city "did most congregate" to transact business. It is now 
used for a fish market, and is, no doubt, filthy enough to suit 
the fishmongers, who make it resound with their clatter- 
ings. 

Yenice has many places of interest, but we shall only 
briefly describe two of them, as our letter will grow too long. 
The church of St. Mark, named after the Apostle, and whose 
tomb, it is claimed, is here, is one of the wonders of Europe. 
Whether it is really the burial place of the Apostle, may be 
doubted, but there are many people who believe it. It is said 
his body was taken from Alexandria, and carried to this place. 
The church was founded in the year 829, and was not finish- 
ed until some centuries later. It was designed by architects 
from Constantinople, and is of the Eoman and Grecian style 
of architecture. It is 243 feet in length, and 200 in width, 
with five domes, the centre one ninety-two feet, and the other 
four, each eighty-one feet high. It is supported by about 
600 heavy Grecian marble columns, many of them very high, 
and all finely polished, with Eoman and Grecian capitals. 

But the greatest and most marvelous work in the church 
are the wonderful mosaics. Looking up into the dome, one 
sees a number of beautiful, highly-colored pictures on the 
ceiling, representing scenes in the life of Christ, The Cruci- 
fixion, The Descent from the Cross, The Eesurrection, The 
Ascension, and many others. In these pictures, the figures 
are all life size, and are beautifully executed. Upon examin- 
ation, however, the pictures are found not to be painted, but 
are made by placing together exceedingly small pieces of 
glass, of different colors, so that, when completed, it has the 



VENICE. 



145 



appearance of an oil painting, and, at a distance, one is una- 
ble to determine whether it is a mosaic or oil work. 

Before leaving Venice, we visited a glass factory, where 
this kind of work was executed, and saw the workman form- 
ing the picture. A frame, the size of the intended picture, 
on the back of which was fastened a board, was lying on a 
bench before the workman. The frame was partly filled with 
soft cement, which hardens, after a time. The artist had be- 
fore him a number of small boxes, containing the bits of col- 
ored glass. The pieces of glass are very thin and narrow, 
and about a fourth of an inch long, one end being finely pol- 
ished. The artist, with a fine pair of tweezers, takes up the 
tiny pieces of glass, using the different colors as would the 
painter, and puts them, one by one, into the frame and ce- 
ment, and so the picture is made. The cement, after a time, 
hardens, and the work is complete. 

Our readers may form some idea, by this description of 
the process of making mosaics, of the immense amount of 
work and time used to cover the large domes of St. Mark's 
church with them. We did not count them all, but there 
must be, at least, twenty large pictures of this kind of work, 
covering some thousands of square feet of surface. 

The floor or pavement is composed of small pieces of 
marble, porphyry, agate, jasper, and other precious stones, 
very beautifully arranged, showing, too, an immense amount 
of work and expenditure of money. At the sides of the 
church are a number of chapels richly decorated. In one of 
these we noticed a mosaic representing Christ washing the 
feet of his disciples. At the south end is the treasury of St. 
Mark. This contains all the sacred relics of the church, 
among which are said to be a piece of our Savior's dress. 
This is kept well locked, and can only be seen at noon on Fri- 
day, unless by special permission. 

19 



146 LETTEES EEOM EUROPE. 

The marble used in the construction of the church, was 
brought together from different countries, and it must have 
cost an enormous sum of money. It is, by far, the richest 
piece of work we have yet seen in our travels, and there are 
probably but few cathedrals in Europe that excel it in rich- 
ness and interest. 

Another building of much interest is the palace of the 
Doges. These were the rulers of the Eepublic of Venice, 
and as the city grew in riches and importance, they built this 
magnificent palace. It contains one of the largest and finest 
rooms to be seen in Europe. It was the council chamber in 
the days of the republic. It is 172 feet long, and 85 feet wide 
and has a fiat ceiling, 52 feet high. At one end of this hall, 
is the large and impressive painting of Paradise. It is 
eighty-four feet long and thirty-three and a half feet in height, 
painted by Tintoretti. It contains over one thousand figures, 
and required an immense amount of labor. The Senate 
Chamber, the Chamber of the Council of Ten, and many oth- 
ers, all magnificently furnished, are to be seen; all of which 
shows, that, at one time, Venice was very wealthy, and that 
her rulers squandered money lavishly, and, in some cases, 
uselessly. 

From the council chamber, we entered a narrow door- 
way, and descended a flight of steps that led to the prison 
cells. Here our guide provided himself with candles and we 
groped our way clown into the darkness below. The cells are 
beneath the palace, and are dark and gloomy enough. The 
public prison is separated from the Doges' palace by a canal, 
crossed by the celebrated Bridge of Sighs. Gloomy and in- 
tricate passages lead to these dark cells, where no ray of sun- 
light ever enters. The prisoners were taken across this 
bridge to the Council Eoom of Ten, to receive the sentence 
of death, and many political prisoners were beheaded here; 



VENICE TO TBIESTE. 



147 



hence its melancholy but appropriate name. As we stood 
on the bridge, Byron's description came to mind: 

"I stood in Venice, on the bridge of Sighs: 
A palace and a prison on each hand: 

• I saw from out the waves her structures rise, 
As from the stroke of the enchanter's wand: 
A thousand years their cloudy wings expand 
Around me, and a dying glory smiles 
O'er the far time, when many a subject-land 
Look'd to the winged lion's marble piles, 
Where Venice sate in state, throned on her hundred isles.' 

We might extend our description much further, but 
enough for this time. At Venice, we met our traveling com- 
panions. An Englishman and his wife, two Americans, one 
from New York and the other from Decatur, 111., with our- 
selves, form the party with whom to start. Others are to join 
us on the road. 

From Venice, by rail to Trieste, is a nine hours' journey. 
On the way we pass through a part of Italy, and have an op- 
portunity of seeing something of the general aspect of the 
country. It is for the most part, between Venice and the 
Austrian frontier, low and flat, and looks rather barren. The 
farm-houses and cottages scattered over the country, as a 
general thing, look neat and tasty, being in strong contrast 
with the dirty, filthy houses of the poor classes in the cities. 
The farmers were busy at work, trimming trees, spading and 
hoeing the ground, and preparing to sow and plant the 
spring crops. 

"We reached Trieste about 2 o'clock at night; we found a 
good hotel, and a comfortable bed, which we enjoyed after 
riding nearly all night in the Italian cars. This city and the 
surrounding country were formerly a part of Italy, but after 
one of the many wars, which these European nations have 



148 LETTEBS EKOM EUROPE. 

waged against each other in the last hundred years, it was 
ceded to Austria. The city is noted as a seaport, and is 
growing quite rapidly. It has now much of the commerce 
that once belonged to Venice, and from this point boats sail 
for all the ports on the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas, al- 
so for Egypt, by way of the Suez Canal. 

On tlie Adriatic. 

Here we embarked on the Austrian Lloyd's steamer, 
Urano, for Athens. This is a tine line of steamers, the ser- 
vice on them being most excellent, and everything possible is 
done for the comfort of the passengers, and we enjoyed this 
part of our trip very much. The weather was fine, and the 
sea was, for the most part, calm, and our boat ran along as 
smoothly as a river steamboat. The time occupied in run- 
ning from Trieste to Athens is four days and nights, the dis- 
tance being about one thousand miles. The above time in- 
cludes a few hours' stop at the Island of Corfu. 

Upon examination it was found that eleven different na- 
tionalities were represented on board the steamer, Germans, 
English, Americans, Scotch, Italians, Irish, Greek, Eussian, 
Turkish, Albanians and Slavs of Dalmatia. At our table one 
could hear English, German, French and Italian spoken, 
whilst on deck there was a perfect babel of tongues. 

Among the passengers was a Turk with a part of his 
harem. He had three wives with him. They came on board 
closely veiled, and were not afterwards visible. Among the 
Turks, the women all have their faces covered with a thick 
veil, only the eyes being visible, and it is considered an insult 
by the Turks for any one to look at their women, or to inquire 
after them. It was quite interesting to see the different cos- 
tumes worn by some of our fellow-passengers, and to note 
the difference in habit and usage. The Turks wear a pecul- 



CORFU. 



149 



iar red cap, with a long tassel called a fez. They wear short, 
baggy pantaloons reaching to the knees, and from the knee to 
the foot, is worn a kind of closely fitting velvet legging, but- 
toned up tightly. Shoes are worn that look like our shoes in 
America. A short, velvet coat reaching to the waist, and us- 
ually embroidered on the breast and sleeves, is also worn, a 
belt or sash is tied around the waist, and the toilet of the 
Turk is complete. The Turks, for the most part, sat cross- 
legged on the deck, and spent the time playing some kind of 
a game. They ate their meals sitting in the same position, 
having their food spread out on the deck before them. 

The Albanians, however, wear the most singular costume. 
A heavy cloak made of goat's hair, coarse and rough looking, 
with a pointed hood fastened to it for covering the head, is 
worn, reaching nearly to the knees. Tight pantaloons made 
of some kind of white cloth, reach to the knees, close-fitting 
white stockings cover the lower part of the legs, which, with 
a pair of shoes turned up at the toes to a point, on which is 
placed a tassel, completes this, peculiar dress. The shoes are 
usually made of red leather, surmounted at the toes with a 
black tassel, and look rather pretty. 

Corfu. 

At Corfu our steamer made its first stop after leaving 
Trieste, and we had an opportunity to land on Grecian soil. 
As soon as the anchor was cast, our good ship was surround- 
ed by a swarm of small boats, the owners of which came 
aboard and were as clamorous as Chicago hackmen in trying 
to secure passengers for their boats. They spoke mostly in 
an unknown tongue to us, modern Greek, we were told, but 
one or two could say, "Me got beste boat." We finally hired 
a boat, and were speedily rowed ashore, where, securing a 
carriage, at the remarkably low price of about twenty cents 



150 LETTEES FEOM EUEOPE. 

each, we enjoyed a most delightful drive of four or five miles, 
through the little Grecian town, out into the country. 

It was a scene new to us, and consequently full of inter- 
est. We were driven through a number of orange and lem- 
on orchards, and the trees were laden with the golden fruit. 
The oranges were especially large and fine. The trees have 
a rich, dark green foliage, among which the fine, large, ripe 
oranges hang, looking like so many balls of gold, a sight 
most beautiful to behold, and one of which the eye is not 
soon weary. Oranges here are much sweeter, juicier, and 
have a finer flavor than those we are used to eating at home. 

Those intended for shipping to America are picked from 
the trees before they are fully ripe, and of course cannot be 
as good as those that are left to ripen on the trees. The 
orange sellers go about the streets with large baskets full of 
the finest fruit, balanced on either side of very small donkeys. 
We saw one donkey with no less than six baskets fastened 
over its back, three hanging on either side, all well filled with 
oranges. The finest and best are sold for about one cent 
apiece, whilst the smaller and inferior fruit sells for much 
less. As we drove along through these fine orchards, we felt 
that we were realizing a dream of our boyhood, when the 
sight of an orange was a rare thing, and the taste of one rar- 
er still. How often we wished we could live where the sweet, 
luscious fruit grew. 

Out in the country the road-side was fairly hedged with 
large century plants, whilst the hill-sides and valleys were 
covered with huge olive trees. The olive trees do not always 
belong to the owner of the ground, and sometimes it happens 
that several persons own a single tree. Each tree bears in 
Greek letters the owner's name or names. It is said they 
are very valuable, olive oil being highly prized and selling 
for a high price. The fruit of the olive is about the size and 



ATHENS. 



151 



shape of a small damson plum. It lias an acrid, pungent 
taste, rather disagreeable at first, but those who eat them, say 
one soon learns to like them. 

At 5 o'clock in the evening we drove back to the landing, 
and again boarded our vessel. Two hours later we were 
steaming away towards Athens, our next stopping place. As 
we passed out of the Adriatic into the Mediterranean Sea, 
round Cape Matapan, the most southern point of land in Eu- 
rope, the wind blew quite a gale, and the sea soon assumed 
that rough and choppy condition that never fails to bring 
seasickness with it. 

Our party was increased to eight, by the addition at 
Corfu, of Mrs. Penfield and daughter, of Eockford, Illinois. 
It seemed almost like meeting old friends, to see some one 
from a town so near our old home. It is wonderful what a 
bond of sympathy exists among travelers when they meet 
some one from their country in a foreign land. Total stran- 
gers soon become quite well acquainted, and feel happy at 
having met some one from home. 

We reached Piraeus, the port of Athens, at an early hour 
in the morning. A carriage drive of six miles over a good 
turnpike road brought us to this ancient city of Greece. > We 
found here good quarters at an English hotel, where we are 
now writing; we remain here seven days. 

The writer had some cause to believe that his traveling 
and letter-writing would be brought to a close, at this place. 
A severe attack of fever, with symptoms of malaria, so often 
fatal to persons not used to this latitude, gave rise to these 
apprehensions. The prompt application of remedies, with 
the care and nursing that only a good wife can give, and un- 
der the blessings of heaven, the dangers of the attack were 
averted. 



152 LETTERS FBOM EUROPE. 

Here again, I felt as I have often felt before, that a good 
wife is "God's last, best gift to man." I am now so far recov- 
ered as to be able to write, but part of this letter must be 
credited to my wife. We are now in the Land of the Bible, 
and this letter closes the first part of our book. 




Olive and Fruit.— See Page 151 



PART II. 

Letters from Bible Lands, 



LETTER I. 



Athens— The Acropolis and its Ruins— The Old 
•vJU. Temples— Mars' Hill. 

|^pHE modern City of Athens is as well built as many Eu- 
|||§| ropean cities, but the old part of the town is crowded 
with squalid buildings, and the streets are narrow, 
dirty, and sinuous. It has a population of about 65,000 souls, 
composed of Greeks, Albanians and Cretans. 

The religion is that of the Greek church, which is some- 
what different from that of the Latin church. The Greeks 
baptize by trine immersion, and also in some places observe 
the ordinance of feet-washing. In many respects, however, 
the worship is much the same as the Catholic. One promi- 
nent peculiarity is that they do not allow the use of instru- 
mental music in their churches. They have, however, very 
good singing. The priests wear a long, dark robe, and a pe- 
culiar, high, round cap. This costume they wear on the 
streets as well as in the church, and they do not remove the 
cap in worship. The churches are decorated with paintings 
and shrines. Before the different shrines are arranged can- 

20 



154 LETTEES EEOM BIBLE LANDS. 

die-sticks. As tlie worshipers enter, they step up to a table 
where a number of candles are exposed for sale; they pur- 
chase one or two for a few pennies, and lighting them, place 
them before their favorite saints. In this way the church is 
soon ablaze with lighted candles. The priests read or rath- 
er sing and chant the services, the people bowing, crossing 
themselves and kissing the feet of some pictured or sculptur- 
ed saint. They come and go, remaining as long as they are 
inclined to, and the whole worship strikes one as being rath- 
er formal. 

In the new part of the city are to be found some very 
fine buildings, and one among the finest, is that of Dr. Schlie- 
mann, the eminent archaeologist, who obtained great renown, 
and at the same time an immense fortune by unearthing the 
ancient city of Troy. His house is very large, and is built 
of fine, white marble, decorated with many pieces of statuary 
of the same material. A fine, large museum, near by, con- 
tains the many specimens of antiquity discovered by the Doc- 
tor. Many of them are said to be four thousand years old. 

But the city of Athens owes its greatest importance and 
chief charm to the prominent place it holds in the history of 
Ancient Greece. It is surrounded by many ruins of its for- 
mer greatness, which have been the wonder and admiration 
of all who have seen them for centuries past. It has also a 
further, and more special interest, aside from its ruins, and 
the remains of its works of art, to every Christian, as being 
one among the ancient cities visited by the apostle Paul in 
his extended missionary work. Here upon Mars' Hill, the 
great apostle of the Gentiles preached to the Athenians, one 
of the boldest sermons on record. 

Before describing this, however, we will look at some of 
the ancient ruins. The first place visited is called the Stadi- 
um. Here the ancient Greeks celebrated the Olympic 



ANCIENT KUINS. 



155 



games, consisting in part of wrestling, trials of strength, 
jumping, and running foot races, etc. It is undoubtedly to 
these races of the Greeks that Paul refers in 1 Cor. 9: 24-27. 
The form and size of the Stadium may be understood, by 
supposing that an abrupt hill rising on a level plain to the 
height of fifty feet, had carried into it an opening, or excava- 
tion, on a level with the plain, six hundred and and fifty feet 
long, and one hundred and six feet wide. This opening was 
partially natural, but for the most part had to be dug out. 
The hills, in the shape of an elliptic, sloping upward and 
backward from the race course of the above dimensions, were 
covered with tiers of marble seats, and were numerous enough 
to accommodate 50,000 spectators; whilst in the large arena 
below the games took place. 

This place was founded by Lycurgus, 350 years before 
Christ. Some of the marble used for seats, is still to be seen, 
but the most of it has been burned into lime, and used in the 
construction of modern Athens. 

The next place visited was the ruins of the temple of Ju- 
piter Olympus. This was one of the largest and finest of the 
old Greek temples. When in a perfect state, it was 380 feet 
long, and 184 feet wide, and was surrounded by 120 Corin- 
thian columns, each 64 feet high, and seven and one-fourth feet 
in diameter, all constructed of the finest white marble. It 
was commenced by Antiochus, King of Syria, 174 years B. C, 
and completed by Hadrian, A. D. 135. Of this old temple, 
there are only remaining now, sixteen of the marble columns 
to mark the place of its former magnificence. One of these 
was thrown down by a gale in 1852, and one can form a bet- 
ter idea of the immense mass of stone as it lies on the ground, 
sixty-four feet long, and seven and one-fourth feet high. In 
this temple, Jupiter or Zeus, the principal god of the Greeks 
was worshiped. 



156 LETTERS FEOM BIBLE LANDS. 

Leaving the temple of Jupiter Olympus, we pass through 
Hadrian's arch or gateway, constructed in the second centu- 
ry of the Christian era, in honor of the Roman Emperor. It 
is twenty-three feet wide, and sixty-four feet high, and also 
built of marble. The Acropolis, however, is the most inter- 
esting place for ancient ruins. It is situated on a rocky hill, 
which rises abruptly to the height of 150 feet, out of the plain 
on which the ancient city stood. It was used as a citadel or 
fort, and also contained many temples erected in honor of the 
favorite gods of the Athenians. 

The platform on the summit of the hill is surrounded by 
walls, built on the edge of the perpendicular rock, forming a 
circuit of nearly 7,000 feet. These walls are of great antiq- 
uity. Passing along the carriage road in order to reach the 
height, we see the ruins of two theatres. These have been 
recently excavated. The marble chairs used by the high 
priests are in a good state of preservation, each one having 
the name of its occupant inscribed upon it. The seats are 
arranged in a semi-circular form, tier after tier rising up the 
hill-side. The seats are all made of marble, and were numer- 
ous enough to seat 30,000 people. The ancient Athenians 
were evidently much given to amusements. 

In Acts 18: 21 is to be found a slight reference to the 
character of these people, when Paul was here; and, judging 
from what one now sees of the extent of their places of amuse- 
ments, one can well see that they were much given to idle- 
ness and play. Passing upward by the carriage way, which 
circles around the south and east part of the hill, we came to 
the wall, supporting the old temple of Nike, and going around 
this, we stand before the Propyls, the grand entrance to the 
Acropolis; which, with its numerous temples and shrines, was 
aptly called by an old Grecian orator, a "votive offering to 
the gods." 



ANCIENT KUINS. 



157 



To attempt to give a detailed description of these ruins, 
would require much more space than can be devoted to it in 
this place. We shall merely glance at them hurriedly as we 
pass along. The gateway is divided into three portions, the 
central gateway, and two wings. The main gateway was 61^ 
feet in width, and consists of two colonnades leading up to 
the gates. Here a number of fine Doric columns are to be 
seen, and lying on the ground are huge columns and blocks 
of marble, showing something of the extent of this vast, mar- 
ble gateway when it was perfect. Entering the gate and as- 
cending by marble stairs, the platform of the rock on which 
the temples stood, is reached. 

Here are found the ruins of many temples, the most im- 
portant being the Parthenon. These temples were built when 
the Greeks had carried art to its highest extent, nearly 2,500 
years ago, and one is surprised to see here walls built of huge 
blocks of marble, so nicely fitted together, and so solidly 
built, that, after the lapse of twenty-three centuries, it is im- 
possible to insert the point of a cambric needle into the 
joints. 

Here, on this hill, there were, it is said, one hundred tem- 
ples and shrines, devoted to the worship of the many gods of 
the Greeks. On every side, wherever one may turn, ruins 
are to be seen. The rocks are literally covered with blocks 
of marble, broken pieces of sculpture, much of it very finely 
executed, and huge marble columns ; which, when all stood in 
their places, must have presented a wonderful scene of magnifi- 
cence. In addition to what is seen here, many of the best- 
preserved, most valuable pieces of sculpture and works of art 
have been carried away. A large number are to be found in 
the British Museum. For the last hundred years, the civi- 
lized nations of Europe have been pillaging Athens, and rob- 
bing her of her ancient works of art. 



158 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

From the Acropolis, a beautiful view is had of the Plain 
of Attica, and of the City of Athens, a view full of interest to 
the student of ancient history, for it contains many places 
made famous by the old Greeks. In the Parthenon stood 
the celebrated statue of the goddess Minerva, the work of 
Phidias. The statue was forty-seven feet in height, and was 
partly made of ivory and gold. The priests who offered the 
sacrifices to the gods, made an annual excursion to the tem- 
ple at Eleusis, six miles away, where they performed the El- 
eusinian Mysteries. 

When Paul was in Athens, what we now see only as ru- 
ins, was then in its full glory, and the worship of the many 
gods was in full tide. Socrates had protested against this 
multiplicity of gods, and had been tried and condemned to 
death for heresy, no doubt through the influence of the 
priests, who feared for their occupation; and so it has been in 
all ages of the world's history. Priestcraft has always been 
foremost in persecution. 

Coming down from the Acropolis, we visited, in succes- 
sion, the Pnyx, the Temple of Theseus, and finally, Mars' 
Hill. The Pnyx is supposed to be the place where the Athen- 
ians held their public arjd political meetings. It is located 
on the hill-side, south west of the citadel. Numerous seats 
are cut into the rock, and a large cube, hewn out of the solid 
rock, is called the Orator's Stage. From this stone, it is 
probable the people heard the stirring eloquence of Pericles 
and Demosthenes. 

The best-preserved building of ancient Athens, is the 
Temple of Theseus. It was built 470 years before Christ, 
and is remarkably well preserved. In the 7th century, it was 
converted into a Christian chnrch. In 1835, it was turned 
into a hospital, and it is now used as a museum, and contains 
the laws of Solon, engraved on marble slabs. The Temple, 



mars' hill. 



159 



like all the old buildings, is constructed of the finest Pentel- 
ican marble, and here, again, can be seen the fine work of the 
ancients. In the lower courses of the wall, the marble blocks 
are eight feet long, three feet wide, and three feet thick, and 
these huge blocks are so nicely fitted together, and were laid 
so firmly, that now, after many centuries have passed away, 
since they were put in place, it is, in some places, almost im- 
* possible to discover the place where they are joined. 

East of this Temple was the large market-place, where 
Paul disputed daily with the people. This was an excellent 
place to see the people, for here they congregated every day. 
Here is to be seen an ancient marble structure, called the 
market-gate. Four Doric columns, four and a half feet in 
diameter, and twenty-eight feet high, support the architrave 
and pediment. It is also of marble. Inside and near by the 
gate-way, stands a stone tablet, about twelve feet high, two 
feet wide, and one foot thick, one side of which is cut full of 
Greek characters. This stone is in the market-place, and 
the engraving on it gives the lawful price to be charged, by 
the sellers, for oil and other commodities. 

Not far from the market place stands an old ruin, sup- 
posed to be the place where the altar dedicated "to the un- 
known god" stood; at least, it is pointed out by the guide as 
being the exact spot. 

We now go up to Mars' Hill, which still retains its an- 
cient name. It is a rocky bluff, rising to the height of per- 
haps forty feet above the plain, at the east and north end and 
side; to the west, it slopes gradually down to the level of the 
surrounding country. It is called Areopagus, as well as 
Mars' Hill (Acts 17). 

According to an ancient Greek legend, their god, Ares or 
Mars, was tried here by a court of the twelve gods, to answer 
to the charge of murder. From this event it took its name. 



IQO LETTEKS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

Here the Athenian court of the Areopagites, the highest ju- 
dicial tribunal in Athens, held its nocturnal sessions. The 
judges were taken from the best families in Athens, and were 
appointed for life. They held in their hands the highest 
power in the State. It was this court that condemned Socra- 
tes for teaching the doctrine of one God, and had him put to 
death. 

At the south-east corner of the hill, are cut into the sol- 
id rock, sixteen steps. By this rocky stairway, the judges as- 
cended to the tribunal. Going up these steps, we found our- 
selves on the highest point of the hill, the surface being 
rough and somewhat broken. Evidences of the ancient work 
are to be seen by the cuttings made into the solid rock. The 
top of the hill, or platform, if it may be so called, is, accord- 
ing to our measurement, 140 feet long, and 110 wide.^ To the 
west, it slopes gradually down to a level with the plain. The 
entire hill, with the slope to the west, contains, probably, not 
far from four acres. For a considerable distance down the 
slope, to the west, numerous cuttings are to be found in the 
solid' rock. In some places, holes are cut into the rock, of 
considerable circumference and depth. They were probably 
intended to be used as cisterns, to collect the water as it came 
down the hill-side. On the north side, a huge mass of rock 
has fallen down and there is to be seen quite a large cavern 
under the rocks. Here are also found some ancient walls. 

To-day, March 4th, we spent some time on the hill alone. 
Never before have we read, with so much interest, the 17th 
of Acts, giving a record of Paul's preaching in Athens, as we 
read it to-day, on Mars' Hill, where we are now writing, us- 
ing a stone for a desk. To stand here, on the very ground 
where he stood, on this solid granite hill, which the lapse of 
nineteen centuries that have passed over it, has not material- 
ly changed, since the day that the great Apostle of the Gen- 



MAKS' HILL. 



161 



tiles proclaimed tlie Gospel to the idolatrous city, from its 
midst, is to gain a new and strangely vivid interest in the 
man, and in the words he uttered. Of course, we always had 
an interest in the words, but the scene was far away, both in 
time and in space, and it never impressed us as it does now 
that we are brought face to face with the very spot where it 
was enacted. Then, too, surrounded on every hand by the 
ruins of the old idolatrous worship, and knowing fully the 
conditions that existed, one is prepared to appreciate fully, 
the boldness, the force, and the appropriate fitness of his 
words to the men of Athens. 

As he stood in the midst of Mars' Hill, before him arose 
the mighty Acropolis, with its temples dedicated to a hun- 
dred gods. Towering above all, could be seen the great gold- 
en and ivory statue of the goddess Minerva. Back of this 
stood the massive marble columns and firm walls of the mag- 
nificent temple of Olympus. To his right hand, a few hun- 
dred yards away, the eye fell upon the temple of Theseus, 
and a little farther away, stood the altar with the inscription, 
"To the Unknown God," the words of Paul's text on that day, 
whilst, to his left, the range of hills was covered with small 
temples and shrines. 

Let him look which way he would, his eyes fell upon the 
evidences of the idolatry and superstition of the people. No 
wonder his great soul burned within him, as he saw how ut- 
terly the cifcy was given up to idolatry, ignorantly worshiping 
shrines and images, and as he stood before the highest judi- 
cial tribunal of Athens, before Judges, statesmen, philoso- 
phers, orators, and the chief men of the city, he boldly, with- 
out the fear of man, or earthly power, uttered the first words 
of that wonderful sermon, "Ye men of Athens, I perceive that 
in all things ye are too superstitious." Think of the language 
addressed to those who prided themselves on their wisdom, 

21 



162 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

their knowledge, and their philosophy; for the City of Ath- 
ens stood foremost among the cities of the world in respect 
to these things. But the Apostle spared not their philosophy, 
but told them some plain truths in his short sermon. He 
had been among them some days, and had seen their fine 
temples and works of art, and he exclaimed, "We ought not 
to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, graven 
by art and man's device." 

The sermon contained in Acts 17: 22-31, is not a long 
one, but it is full of the grand truths of Christian philoso- 
phy. It sets forth the doctrine of the general brotherhood 
of the human race, in strong and unmistakable words. It 
shows, too, that Paul, who was a Jew, was well acquainted 
with the Greek language, and also, that he had a knowledge 
of their literature, for he brings up one of their own poets to 
prove his position, and it shows, above all, the fearlessness 
and boldness of the great Apostle in preaching the Word. 
Well mm ht he say, that his preaching was "not with enticing 
words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit 
and of power." He spoke not to please the Athenians, but 
to tell them the unvarnished truth, and the world needs many 
just such preachers to-day. 

A short distance north-east of Mars' Hill, is the ancient 
Athenian cemetery. For many years, its existence was en- 
tirely unknown; but, in digging, some old remains were found. 
This led to an excavation, and many of the tombs of the old 
Greeks were found. Tombstones and monuments, much the 
same as those to be seen in American cemeteries, are found 
here. Many of the old graves have been opened, but the 
bodies have long since mouldered to dust. In the graves are 
to be found ornaments, tear-bottles, small lamps, and a 
small vessel, used to blow into, by which a kind of wail- 
ing, moaning sound was produced. The friends of the de- 



ANCIENT CUSTOMS. 



163 



ceased carried these things in the procession as they follow- 
ed their dead to the grave, and then deposited them in the 
coffin. They are offered for sale here now on every side. 



LETTER II. 



.From Athens to Smyrna-The Seven Churches of Asia- 

, Ephesns— The Temple of Diana, 

^fe strong north-east wind was Wowing as we boarded 
Wk onr ship at Pirams, the portof Athens, for Smyrna. We 
^* all expected to have a rongh voyage, and we were not 
in the least disappointed. It was quite unpleasant, so much 
so that two of onr party decided after reaching Smyrna, not 
to go on farther. To travel day after day, with seasickness 
for a constant companion, is not a pleasant thing to do, and 
it requires considerable physical courage as well as strong 
nerves to do it. As for wife and self, we do not suffer so 
much from it. 

The distance from Athens to Smyrna is about <3Q0 miles, 
and it takes from twenty-four to thirty hours to make the 
trip We got under way at 5 o'clock P. M., and were soon 
out from the shelter of the hills of Greece; the wind had full 
sweep at our little ship, and it rolled and pitched enough to 
satisfy the best sailor among us. 

At 9 o'clock next morning, we passed the Island and City 
of Chios. This city, which was almost totally destroyed by 
an earthquake two years ago, claims the honor of having 
been the birthplace of Homer. 

The wind blew strong and steady all day, and the sea 
ran high and was quite rough*. About two o'clock in the aft- 
ernoon, as we were seated in a sheltered place on the deck, 
watching the waves dashing against the ship, we were sud- 
denly startled by a piercing shriek, and loud cries coming 
from the bow of the ship. A man had fallen overboard, and 



A MAN OVERBOARD. 



165 



it really seemed that with the wind blowing so hard and the 
waves running so high, that he must be lost. Going quickly 
to the side of the vessel, we saw the poor fellow struggling 
in the angry waters as the ship rushed by. Our first im- 
pulse was to throw something overboard to him. Fortunate- 
ly a life-buoy was near at hand, and it was quickly thrown 
towards him, but the ship was going so rapidly, that before 
the life preserver touched the water, the poor struggling fel- 
low was far astern. He saw it, however, as it floated on the 
waves, and the motion of the water from the ship's screwj 
carried it towards him. How anxiously we all watched to 
see if he was strong enough to reach it, for it was evident 
that he could not live in the cold, rough sea without some 
support. At last a high wave carried the white coil of cork 
within his reach, and he grasped it and was safe for the time 
being. By this time he was far away from the ship, but the 
engines had been stopped, and the ship's anchor cast. A 
boat with three men in it was lowered, and they were soon 
rowing, with strong and willing arms, to the rescue. 

The little boat was tossed and pitched almost like a 
feather in the waves, and it seemed that the men were risk- 
ing their lives to save their comrade. The most intense ex- 
citement prevailed on board, and all eagerly watched the 
boat and the poor man in the water. Often he was entirely 
lost sight of, but rising on a high wave, his black head and 
white face could be distinctly seen, although he was three- 
quarters of a mile away. At last the boat reached him, he 
was drawn into it, and was quickly rowed to the ship, and 
was soon on board again. The men who had gone down into 
the boat to save him, had a perilous time, as they, at one 
time, were nearly all thrown into the water, but, in a short 
time, all were safe on board again. The man was a sailor, 
and had been engaged in furling a sail, and the wind had 



^(36 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

blown him into the sea. We shall never forget the agonized 
look of his upturned face, as he went by us, shrieking for 
help. He had a narrow escape and if the accident had oc- 
curred at night, the poor fellow must certainly have been 
lost. 

At five o'clock in the evening, we reached Smyrna, where 
we are now writing. We spend two days here, to visit two 
of the seven churches in Asia, Smyrna and Ephesus. Smyr- 
na is to-day one of the chief cities of Asia Minor, and enjoys 
a large trade. It is connected with two lines of railroad to 
the interior of the country, one of which runs to Ephesus. 
These roads were built by English capital, and are managed 
by Englishmen. The Turks could never get up enterprise 
enough to build and manage a railroad. 

In addition to the railroads, large caravans of camels, 
all heavily laden with raisins, wine, figs, almonds, opium and 
other commodities are constantly arriving. It is quite a 
singular sight to see the long trains of these patient and en- 
during beasts of burden, moving quietly along, single file, 
carrying from four to six hundred pounds of freight. They 
have been aptly called "ships of the desert." They will 
cross the sandy deserts with a load of over 400 pounds, at 
r the rate of thirty miles a day, in the burning heat of summer, 
and require water only every third or fourth day. In the 
cooler months, the animal will work for seven or eight days 
without water, and if grazing on green foliage without labor, 
will drink only once in a fortnight. This information is from 
Baker, the African explorer, and may be depended upon as 
being correct. 

To-day we saw several hundreds of these animals travel- 
ling along, heavily laden. In one caravan alone, there were 
over sixty. They come close up to the wharf, quietly kneel 
and are relieved of their burdens, and again receive 



SMYRNA. 



167 



their cargo of new freight, and are off on their long tramps 
to Trebizoncl, Sardis, and even down into Persia. 

The City of Smyrna has not far from 200,000 inhabitants. 
It suffers much from earthquakes, which are very common. 
Two years ago a very severe one visited the place. The 
shock lasted over eighteen seconds, and injured many houses. 
It is one of the seven cities that have laid claim to being the 
birth-place of Homer. Our guide, George Phaedros, who is 
an exceedingly intelligent Greek, and speaks English very 
well, said the matter was quite settled, and that there was no 
doubt but that the great poet was born here. A grotto is 
pointed out where he is said to have written his Iliad. 

This same guide conducted Mr. McGarvey, whom many 
of our readers will remember by his exceedingly interesting 
letters, which were jDublished in the Brethren at Work sev- 
eral years ago, when he visited the seven churches in Asia. 

The streets of Smyrna are narrow and dirty; the houses, 
many of them, meanly and poorly built. Bare-footed and 
bare-legged, half-clad men and boys are to be seen on the 
streets, all of them dirty and filthy. Poor, lean, half-starved 
dogs are plenty, and the streets are full of them. They do 
not disturb you if you let them alone, but it is said, you will 
get into trouble, if you interfere with them. To kick a dog 
would bring on you the Turkish indignation, but to kick a 
woman is not considered out of the way. So we have been 
told. 

Passing along the streets, we saw many pools of stagnant 
water, covered with a green scum, a very cess-pool of malaria. 
We do not wonder now that the Asiatic cholera and ma- 
larial fever wastes these Eastern cities so often. The sani- 
tary condition could not be worse, and it is only a wonder 
that any one can live here. With a fine sea breeze, and with 
the na£ural advantages for drainage and sewers, the city 



Igg LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

might be made as healthy as any place in Europe. But un- 
der the stupid, half-civilized rule of the Turks, nothing of 
this kind is done. It seems to be the policy of the Sultan to 
get all out of the place he can, without doing anything m re- 
turn. At least so the Greek Christians say. 

In Smyrna was one of the seven churches of Asia, ad- 
dressed by St. John, Rev. 2: 8, 9. He commends them for 
their good works, their tribulation and their poverty, which to 
them were true riches, and exhorts them to a faithful continu- 
ance until death, when the promised crown of life will be 
given. And they did endure even unto death. 

The first Christian Bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp, a dis- 
ciple of John, suffered martyrdom in the midst of the city, m 
the year A. D. 166. Polycarp wrote an epistle to the Ephe- 
sians which we have preserved to as in the writings of the 
Apostolic Fathers. The same work also contains an account 
of the martyrdom of the aged bishop, written by the church 
at Smyrna, to the church at Philomelium and through that 
church to the whole Christian world. 

The account of his death contains some marvelous state- 
ments, such as this: The fire did him no harm, and he was 
finally thrust through with a dagger, and afterward his body 
was burned. Our guide pointed out to us the tomb of the 

ancient martyr. , 

Many others fell in the same way, and have, no doubt, 
realized, in part, the promise of the Apostle, which will be 
realized to the full in the morning of the first resurrection. 
"For " saith the Bevelator, "he that overcometh, shall not be 
hurt' of the second death." And again, "Blessed and holy is 
he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second 
death hath no power." These ancient fathers, who sealed 
their faith with their blood, gladly testifying, even m the 
midst of tortures, the very mention of which brings \o us a 



SMYKNA. 



169 



thrill of horror, that the Gospel of Jesus is the power of God 
unto salvation, will, without the least shadow of a doubt, have 
a part in that first glorious resurrection. Shall we be also 
found worthy? 

The church here suffered almost entire extinction by 
martyrdom. The place where the first church was built in 
the city, has now a Greek church, recently built, standing up- 
on its ruins. The Mohammedan religion prevails, although 
a number of Greek churches are to be found in the city, and 
there is also a Protestant mission here. There is a large 
number of Turkish mosques in the city. These all have tall 
minarets. Instead of a bell the tall tower is mounted at the 
regular praying time each day by a priest and he calls, in a 
loud voice, "Allah El Allah." This is called from each of the 
four corners of the minaret, and the faithful Moslem drops 
his work and betakes himself to his devotions. 

They are very exact in performing their devotions, and 
nothing prevents them from attending to them. On board 
the ship we noticed when the hour for prayer came, they im- 
mediately commenced to sing and chant their prayers. With 
all their devotion, however, they are far from being civilized. 
One only needs to see them and be among them to learn this 
truth. The Koran itself keeps them from developing and 
advancing in the scale of civilization, and it is only a question 
of time with them, especially in Europe. They can never 
hold their own against the strong civilization that is growing 
up around them. Were it not for the jealousy of the Euro- 
pean powers, as to the division of the territory, no Turk would 
rule a foot of land in Europe to-day. 

In addition to the Moslems and Greeks, there is also a 
large number of Jews in Smyrna. How true were the proph- 
ecies uttered upon these people; they are scattered in all parts 
of the world. Go into any city in Europe and you will find 

22 



y[Q LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

them The same is true of Africa. In India and China they 
are also found. They have a large synagogue here, and have 
a hand in the trade of the city. 

Epliesus. 

The seven churches of Asia to which St. John the Di- 
vine addressed the first chapter of the Book of Bevelations, 
all lay within a radius of one hundred miles of Smyrna, 
Ephesus being nearest, about forty-five miles away, and La- 
odicea farthest, a little over one hundred miles to the south- 
east To the north-east, some sixty miles, was Thyatira. 
Sardis lies in the same direction, about seventy miles distant, 
whilst the ancient site of Pergamos is found to the north- 
west eighty miles, and Philadelphia about ninety miles to the 
east. 

These distances and directions were obtained from the 
guide, and as he has several times made the tour to the 
churches, are, perhaps, approximately correct. 

The only one of the seven cities, from which the seven 
churches of Asia received their names, that has escaped en- 
tire destruction and ruin, is Smyrna. The other six are now 
only known as heaps of ruins, and desolate places This fact 
has been construed, by some writers, to be the fulfillment of 
prophecy. As the church at Smyrna was the only one fully 
commended, and had the promise of the crown of life it is 
claimed that as the city remains in a flourishing condition, 
and that the Christian religion has always been kept up here, 
in some form or other, that the words of John referred to the 
temporal affairs of the city, as well as the spiritual condi- 
tion of the church. It seems to us that this straining and 
twisting the words of Holy Writ to show that some prophe- 
cy is being fulfilled, does harm rather than good. The words 
of the Spirit were directed to the churches, and even to nidi- 



THE RUINS OF EPHESUS. 171 

vidual members in some cases, and not to the cities. It was 
the Christian believers at Laodicea that were neither hot nor 
cold, and the words of inspiration came to them, and not to 
the city of Laodicea. And the same is trne of all the seven 
chnrches. 

As a matter of fact, the City of Smyrna has been de- 
stroyed no less than six times, by earthquakes and wars, and 
to-day nothing remains of the ancient city, known to the apos- 
tles, but the crumbling walls of 
the citadel, built by Alexander the 
Great, which the Turks, with the 
spirit of vandalism, that has al- 
ways characterized their treatment 
of places made almost sacred to 
Christians by associations of the 
past, are making a stone quarry of, 
and soon no trace of the old Smyr- 
na, known to St. John, will remain. 

But this letter is to tell about 
an excursion to the ruins of Ephe- 
sus, and what we saw there. The 
distance from Smyrna to the little 
village of Ayasoluk, is nearly fifty 
miles and the ruins are a mile or 
two from the village. The railroad 
winds through the valleys, formed 
almond. by the hills and mountains that 

cover this part of the coast of Asia Minor. 

We pass on the way innumerable orchards of fig-trees, 
the swelling buds of which remind us that the summer is 
nigh at hand. All over the valleys, and far up the hill-sides 
the almond trees are in full bloom, adding beauty to the 
scene. The almond tree in bloom looks much like the peach 




YJ2 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

tree, being about the same in size, and the blossom resem- 
bling that of the peach very much. 

In many places large flocks of beautiful, white sheep 
were grazing. The wool being long, white and clean, they 
present a strong contrast, to the dirty, black-looking sheep we 
see on our western prairies. 

The railroad passes for some distance along the old car- 
avan road to Sardis, and here we saw a caravan of some 
sixtv camels, with their Arab attendants, traveling along sol- 
emnly and steadily to the East. The camel of the desert 1S 
a different-looking animal from what we see at home, lhey 
are much larger and finer looking, and really impress one 
with their stateliness. To see a large caravan, with the at- 
tending Arabs dressed in their fanciful costumes, with a red 
fez and white turban, was to catch a glimpse of oriental lite 
that we had often read of, but never expected to see. 

The journey was full of new and strange sights to us, 
and will not soon be forgotten. We arrived at the little 
Turkish village at about 11 o'clock, and at once set out to see 
the ruins of the fallen city. 

Ephesus was one among the oldest cities of the world 
its history dating far back into the dim and shadowy ages of 
tradition. It was an old, old city when the apostles preach- 
ed the Gospel of Jesus in its streets. Here stood the great 
temple of "Diana of the Ephesians," which, on account ot its 
great size, its elaborate workmanship, its fine marble col- 
umns, and splendid decorations was given a place high up 
among the seven wonders of the world. Here St. John died 
and was buried. Here the mother of Christ, who had been 
especially commended to the care of John, by the dying Sav- 
ior, is said to have died and found her last resting place 
Here the body of St. Luke was entombed, and here St. J^aul 
labored and suffered for the salvation of souls, and was com- 



THE RUINS OF EPHESUS. 



173 



pelled to fight wild beasts, after the manner of men. Here 
he spent two years of his life, preaching the Word and per- 
forming many miracles, and his final leave-taking of the eld- 
ers of the church at Ephesus is full of pathos, and of the 
tender love and care he manifested for the flock. Who can 
read it without being moved to tears? 

Second to Jerusalem itself, this is one among the most 
interesting places that we shall visit on our journey. Near the 
village we notice the piers of an aqueduct, built chiefly 
with huge blocks of white marble, taken from the temple of 
Diana. Many of the blocks show fine carving and scroll work, 
whilst others bear inscriptions, showing that they had been 
used in the old temple. Near this is to be seen a Turkish 
mosque, built partly out of the old marble, and a Turkish 
cemetery around which a wall has been constructed of the 
same material. We noticed on top of the wall a number of 
blocks of white marble, beautifully sculptured, representing 
flowers and leaves in bas-relief. 

We now visited the ruins of an old Turkish mosque, 
which is interesting only because in it are to be found many 
of the columns and pillars of the ancient temple. Crossing 
a plowed field, we came into a well-worn path that led us di- 
rectly to the ruins of the old temple. 

For many centuries the site of this building was entirely 
lost, but recent excavations, with inscriptions found upon the 
buried columns, showed that here stood the temple, dedicat- 
ed to the heathen goddess Diana. At present an excavation 
about thirteen feet deep, and of considerable size marks the 
spot The pavement of the temple is ten or twelve feet be- 
low the present surface of the ground. Inside of the large 
square excavation we observed blocks of marble, columns of 
granite pedestals, and pieces of statuary, lying where they 
fell, fifteen centuries ago. And this is all that remains of 



174 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

this wonderful work of human art and skill! What a great 
leveler is time! The loftiest and strongest built temples 
crumble beneath his hand! 

This old temple served for several centuries as a quarry 
of ready cut marble. Many churches in Europe have some 
of its ancient marble in use. St. Mark's church, at Yenice, 
has a number of columns brought from this place. Columns, 
cornices, architraves, the huge blocks of marble which com- 
posed the walls, the pavements and stairways of marble, have 
nearly all been carried away. So much of it was removed, 
that not even a mound was left to mark the place where it 
stood, when the plain of Ephesus was filled up by the accu- 
mulations of centuries, to the depth of twelve or fourteen 
feet. 

For generations the Asiatic farmers had plowed over the 
ruins, and many successive crops of barley had. been harvest- 
ed over the place, where, in all its glory, stood this great won- 
der of the ancient world. In 1869, Mr. Wood, digging in 
one of the barley fields, discovered some old ruins, and a year 
later, further excavation showed that he had discovered the 
ancient site of the temple of Diana. 

From the temple we go up the hill-side to the old stadi- 
um. The arches upon which the seats were placed, are still 
in place, and the form of the huge amphitheatre can be plain- 
ly traced. It was of immense size, and, it is said, contained 
seats for seventy thousand people. A large, arched way is 
shown, through which the wild animals were brought into 
the arena. Here the Ephesians were wont to assemble to 
witness the combats between men and half-famished wild 
beasts; lions, tigers and leopards being those mostly used. 
In the days of Christian persecution, thousands of the follow- 
ers of Christ met death in this way. 



THE RUINS OF EPHESUS. 



175 



As we stood on the height, looking around upon the des- 
olation on all sides, we could hardly believe that around us, 
at one time, stood a large, populous city, with all of its life, 
activity and bustle. Nothing of it now remains but a few old 
walls and arches. The harbor in which the ships of the city 
once floated, is now a marsh, filled with deadly malaria, and 
no human being can live here. In the warm months of 
the year it is dangerous even to visit the place. The desola- 
tion and ruin of Ephesus is complete. It will never be in- 
habited again. Never again will go up from the midst of 




THE OLD THEATRE. 

this old stadium the wail of the helpless victim, sacrificed to 
gratify the greed for blood of the inhabitants of the old city. 
And who will say that the blood of the Christian martyr has 
not cried unto the Lord, and that his judgment has fallen 
upon a city drunken with the blood of the saints ? 

On the hill-side, half a mile away from the Stadium, 
are the remains of an old wall. This is called St. Paul's 



LETTERS FEOM BIBLE LANDS. 

prison, and here, it is said, the apostle was imprisoned. The 
tombs of St. John and St. Luke are also shown. 

The walls of the old- theatre are the best preserved. 
Huge pillars of solid masonry constructed of immense blocks 
of granite, support the arches. Above one of the arches a 
large stone bears an inscription, saying, among other things, 
that this was the theatre of the Ephesians. It must have 
been an enormous structure. The orchestra and stage, made 
of pure, white marble, are still partly to be seen. The solid 
walls are cracked and crumbling. But the earthquakes have 
not yet leveled them to the ground. 

What builders these ancients were! Here are walls 
that have stood for three thousand years, and are likely to 
stand for many years to come. Columns of granite and walls 
of the same material mark the old road-way from the city to 
the temple. The bed of the old road is at least twelve feet 
below the present surface of the ground. 

Coming back to the little village, we were glad to sit 
down and take a rest after our tramp of six or eight miles, 
over the hills and among the ruins of Ephesus. The desola- 
tion of the old ruins is so complete that one feels almost a 
sense of relief to escape from them, and were it not for the 
sacred and holy associations of the past that cluster around 
the place, it would hardly be visited at all to-day by travelers. 
As it is, it will always be full of interest to the Bible stu- 
dent. . 

At the little station a number of camels were being re- 
lieved of their burdens; the freight being taken from this 
point to Smyrna by rail. A Turk was selling some old relics, 
dug up among the ruins, consisting of lamps, vases, bottles, 
etc., used by the Ephesians. They are for the most part, so 
badly broken as to be valueless. We, however, found a lamp 
among them in a good state of preservation, only a part of 



« 



PARTING WITH FRIENDS. 177 

the handle having been broken off, which we hope to bring 
home with us. 

We had a pleasant ride back to Smyrna, where we arriv- 
ed at four o'clock. We leave here now for Jaffa, touching at 
Khodes, Cyprus and Beyroot. The time required for the 
voyage is five days; the distance being about 800 miles. 
Here our Kockf ord friends leave our party, going to Constan- 
tinople, and returning over-land to Trieste. We feel ex- 
tremely loth to part with them, as we found them exceeding- 
ly pleasant traveling companions. 

They too seem to be sorry not to be able to go on to Pal- 
estine, but Mrs. Penfield is afraid to undertake the fatigues 
of the journey, in the present condition of her health. 




23 



LETTER HI 



From Smyrna to Jaffa-The Old City-The Home of 
Simon, the Tanner, 
fife Saturday, March 8th, at 3 o'clock P. M we board- 
ill ed the Austrian Lloyd's steamer, Vesta, at Smyrna for 
-IP- the last and longest part of onr journey to Palestine; 
for, if all goes well, we shall not disembark untd we reach 
Jaffa, five days hence. The day was clear and bright the air 
cool, and the sea quite calm. At five o'clock we started with 
fair promises for a pleasant voyage. We steamed directly 
out of the harbor into the Aegean Sea, and the Grecian Ar- 

chip el aero. . , 

This passage is by far the most interesting on our route, 

passing as we do so many beautiful islands, known to every 

read" of ancient history, and ending at Jaffa, where we 

shall first set foot upon the Holy Land. 

Our good ship is full of passengers, from many parts or 

the world, pilgrims going to Jerusalem, merchants, who are 
trading at Beyroot, a party of Scotch gentlemen going to 
Egypt, Mohammedans going to Damascus, and so we might 
continue to enumerate. The deck of the ship is full of Turk. 
Thev carry with them their bedding and food, and eat and 
sleep in the open air on deck. During the day they pass 
their time in smoking and playing games, sitting cross-leg- 

ged on the deck. . 

The women are huddled together under an awning, and 
are silent in their seclusion. From what we have seen and 
heard of the condition of the women under Mohammedan- 
ism, we think it could not well be worse. She is the most 



\ 



• ON TO JAFFA. 179 

abject slave, subject to every caprice and whim of her master 
or husband, and his treatment of her is often harsh and bru- 
tal. She is as much his property as is his horse or dog, and 
the latter often receives the better treatment of the two. The 
most miserable, abject, woe-begone, unintelligent faces to be 
seen anywhere, may be found among the lower class of these 
women. The husband is complete lord and master, and has 
the power to divorce his wife by his own words and at his 
own will. 

It is this terrible condition of the Mohammedan women, 
enforced on them by the Koran, that keeps the Turkish na- 
tion in its present semi-barbarous state. The nearer women 
stand equal, in every right, to men, the higher will be the civ- 
ilization resulting from such condition. 

Among the deck passengers was a Turk, who had sever- 
al women under his care; one of them a young girl, who was 
being taken from Constantinople to Damascus. During the 
first night at sea, she was missed from her place. We heard 
the noise and chatter caused by her disappearance, and got 
up and went on deck, but we could learn nothing, as they all 
spoke in an unknown tongue. In the morning, however, we 
were informed that she had thrown herself overboard. Part 
of her clothing was found on the deck at the place where she 
dropped into the sea; no doubt preferring this kind of death, 
to the life that awaited her at Damascus. 

Sunday morning the sun rose bright and clear; a gentle 
breeze of balmy air, from the isles of Greece, broke the blue 
waters of the calm sea into numberless sparkling ripples. 
As we stood on the deck, looking out over the beautiful scene, 
our thoughts in an instant of time, traversed the ten thou- 
sand miles that separated us from our loved ones at home, 
and we were, at least in the spirit, at Mt. Morris on this 
Lord's day. 



jgg LETTERS EROM BIBLE LANDS. 

At midday we passed the island of Patmos, so well 
known to all Bible readers. Here it was that St. John was 
banished by the emperor Domitian for preaching the Gospel, 
and here he received and wrote the wonderful Book of Reve- 
lation. He "was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the 
Word of God, and for the testimony of J esns Christ. I was 
in the spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great 
voice, as of a trumpet," and then follow the words of comfort 
and warning to the seven churches of Asia. ^ 

The island is a small, rocky, barren, inhospitable look- 
in- place, and here, no doubt, the beloved disciple and apos- 
tle had an unbroken solitude in his communion with the 
Spirit, that brought him the words of the Book, so full of 
mysteries and allegories. We can scarcely realize that we 
are gazing upon the veritable isle of Patmos. 

We pass also the island of Samos, the birth-place of 
Pythagoras, and for a long time the home of Herodotus, 
where he wrote the greater part of his celebrated history 
Late in the evening of the same day, we reach the island ot 
■Rhodes, noted in ancient times for its liberty, and the learn- 
ing and valor of its citizens. In modern times it Ml into 
the hands of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, who gal- 
lantly defended it for over two hundred years against the at- 
tacks of the Saracens. In the harbor is shown the place 
where the Colossus of Rhodes stood. The island has a de- 
lightful climate, and it is said that over one thousand differ- 
ent kinds of plants grow on it. In the summer months it is 
like an immense flower garden. 

On Tuesday we reached the island of Cyprus, where our 
boat remained some hours, unloading freight and taking m 
passengers. Barnabas, who was a native of Cyprus and 
Paul visited this island in their first missionary tour. Land- 
ing at Salamis in the eastern part of the island, they travers- 



PATMOS, SAMOS AND CYPEUS. 181 

ed its entire length to Paphos at its western extremity, 
preaching the Gospel to the people. At Paphos, Elyrnas the 
sorcerer, who withstood the apostles, was struck blind, and 
Sergius Paulus was converted. It is thought by some that 
from this time, and from the circumstance of the conversion 
of the Roman proconsul, Saul was given the name of Paul. 
See Acts 13. This does not seem improbable, as the name 
of the officer might have been bestowed upon the apostle in 
memory of the event of his conversion. Paul again visited 
the islands, for the last time on his journey to Pome. 

The island is about 140 miles in length and about 40 
miles wide. It contains 210,000 inhabitants. The principal 
products of Cyprus are wine, salt, olive oil, silk, wool, hemp 
and pitch. Since 1877 it has been under English rule, hav- 
ing been ceded to that power by Turkey, in consideration of 
the annual payment of about $25,000. Under the improved 
condition of things, introduced by the English, and the bless- 
ing of a stable government, the island is improving very 
rapidly. Its trade has increased, since 1877, over three- fold. 
The climate is mild and pleasant, and some parts of the place 
are healthy. In the interior is a large Greek convent, near 
which Barnabas was buried. Here too, was found the auto- 
graph manuscript of the Gospel of St. Matthew, a valuable 
accession to the ancient manuscripts. 

Here we were delayed some hours, on account of a large 
number of Greek and Armenian Pilgrims who wanted to be 
taken to Jaffa, some three hundred in number. The captain 
objected to being delayed, but, finally, part of them came 
aboard. They crowded the deck, and made a great 
amount of noise and confusion before they got settled for the 
night. 

Annually thousands of these Greek and Armenian Chris- 
tians make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to be present at the 



LETTERS EROM BIBLE LANDS. 

ceremonies of Easter. They go to Jaffa by ship, and from 
there make the jonrney on foot. This pilgrimage is thought 
to cover a multitude of sins; indeed, it is often undertaken as 
a penance to relieve a guilty conscience. The pilgrims walk, 
many of them, bare-foot from Jaffa to Jerusalem; others put 
peas or pebbles in their shoes, so they may suffer m the flesh. 
They are a sorry-looking crowd, but one cannot help feeling 
that they are honest and earnest in carrying to completion a 
journey full of physical pain and suffering to them. They 
have a zeal, but not of knowledge. 

We have two days of sea voyage yet, before we reach 
Jaffa. We have had to this time a fine voyage, the sea being 
calm and the weather delightful. At night the Ml moon 
shone down on the blue waters, making the upper deck a 
pleasant place. A bright moonlight night, in this clear at- 
mosphere, is a sight worth seeing. 

To-day, Wednesday, March 12th, we call at Beyroot, and 
to-morrow our long sea voyage will terminate at Jaffa. One 
rather unpleasant thought, however, intrudes itself constant- 
ly on the mind. We must go over all these thousands of 
miles again before we can reach our home. We are now 
just coming in sight of a rough, mountainous coast, which we 
know is Syria. Inland, the mountains of Lebanon raise 
their lofty peaks high above the surrounding hills.' They 
are covered with snow and sparkle and glisten in the bright 
sunshine like silver. Low down, on the sandy beach, we 
discover, with our glass, a mere speck of a town which we are 
told is Beyroot, the most important trading-point in Syria. 
At this point, after a ride of one month on horseback, our 
tour in Palestine and Syria will end. Here we shall embark 
sometime about the middle of April, on our return voyage. 

After entering the port of Beyroot, the wind, which had 
been steadily increasing for some hours, began blowing quite 



SIGHTING THE HOLY LAND. 



183 



strong, and the sea became so rough that when the ship cast 
anchor, it was f onnd quite impossible for the boats to take off 
the cargo, which the ship carried for this place. Wharves 
are practically unknown in the East, and the harbors are 
very insecure. The ships usually anchor from a half to one 
mile from the shore, and passengers and cargo are taken 
ashore in small row boats. 

We lay at anchor all day, the vessel pitching and rolling 
with the swell of sea, waiting for the wind and waves to sub- 
side, but it was only on the following morning that the boats 
could come near the ship, and even then the unlading was at- 
tended with much difficulty, which seemed greater than it re- 
ally was, on account of the confusion and excitement of the 
Arab boatmen. 

At seven o'clock in the evening of the second day, after 
a tedious and most tiresome delay, the ship steamed out of 
the harbor, and we went down to our cabins with the assur- 
ance that if all were well, the morning light would reveal to 
us the Land of Palestine. At six o'clock the next morning, 
standing on the upper deck of the Yesta, we had our first 
view of the most interesting country in the* world, of a land 
sacred by its associations above any earthly place, the "Holy 
Land, around which cluster the sweetest fancies of our child- 
ish prayers, and of our household psalms." 

In the dim distance, a blue range of hills and mountains 
can be seen, and we know that this was the mountain home 
of Judah, Benjamin* and Ephraim; nearer, a low, yellow, 
sandy beach, over which the white-crested waves were rolling 
and dashing their foam, an inner line of dark green marking 
the outside extent of the sand, and showing that the latter 
rains, and the warm sun were bringing forth the grass, the 
new vegetation, and the beautiful roses on the plain of Sha- 
ron, and lastly the City of Jaffa, rising on a rocky hill, cita- 



184 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

del like, out of the sea, proclaimed to us that we were coming 
to the end of our long sea voyage, and that we should soon 
set our feet upon the Land of Promise. 

Ever since the time that Jonah found a ship at Joppa, 
going to Tarshish, and went down into it to flee from the 
presence of the Lord, and was immediately overtaken by a 
mighty tempest, has Jaffa been known as a dangerous and 
unsafe harbor. The sea may be as calm and as smooth as 
the waters of some small inland lake, and in a few hours the 
wind will be lashing it into fury, sending its waves dashing 
high over the rocks and ledges with which the shore is lined, 
making landing not only exceedingly dangerous, but impossi- 
ble. At such times the ships do not attempt to enter the port 
at all, those coming from the north, going on to Port Said, 
whilst those from the south land further north at Haifa, 
where there is a sheltered harbor. 

The following description of the dangers of the harbor 
is by Seawulf, a writer who visited the place during the cru- 
sades, some 700 years ago. 

"The very day we came in sight of the port, one said to 
me, I believe by divine inspiration, 'Sir! go on shore to-day, 
lest a storm come on in the night, which will render it impos- 
sible to land to-morrow.' 

"When I heard this I was suddenly seized with a great 
desire of landing, and, having hired a boat, went into it with 
all my companions; but before I had reached the shore the 
sea was troubled, and became continually more tempestuous. 
We landed, however, with God's grace without hurt; and, en- 
tering the city, weary and hungry, we secured a lodging and 
reposed ourselves for that night. 

"But next morning as we were returning from the church 
we heard the roaring of the sea, and the shouts of the people, 
and saw that everybody was in confusion and astonishment. 



LANDING AT JAFFA. 185 

We were also dragged along with the crowd to the shore, 
where we saw the waves swelling higher than mountains, and 
innumerable bodies of drowned persons of both sexes, scat- 
tered over the coast, while the fragments of ships were scat- 
tered on every side. Of persons of both sexes there perished 
more than a thousand that day. Indeed no eye ever beheld 
a greater misfortune in the space of a single day; from all of 
which God snatched us by his grace, to whom be honor and 
glory forever. Amen." 

Allowing something for the strong imagination of the 
writer, whose statements are generally highly colored, and 
must, therefore, be received with some grains of allowance, 
there can be no doubt that he witnessed a terrible scene 
of shipwreck and suffering. Our ship cast anchor nearly a 
mile from the shore. The sea was rather rough, and the 
small boats were tossed about on the waves almost like feath- 
ers. We were told, however that the landing was not con- 
sidered dangerous. 

In a short time the vessel was surrounded by a number 
of small row .boats, and the Arab boatmen came rushino- 
aboard, with shouts and yells, each one clamorous and deter- 
mined to secure passengers. The landing, here as everywhere 
else in the East where we touched, is attended with the great- 
est possible amount of noise and confusion, and the least 
possible order. The boatmen crowded around us, shouting 
at the top of their voices, soliciting our patronage, and so de- 
termined did they become, that we feared we should be car- 
ried away by force. 

We finally had our baggage carried clown to a boat, and 
we descended the steps at the side of the ship, in order to en- 
ter the little boat which was tossing and pitching on the 
waves below. Awaiting a favorable opportunity, when the 
boat came up to the stairway on the swell of a wave, we step- 

24 



28(5 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

ped in, and immediately it went down with the wave five or 
six feet below the steps. At the next swell wife came down, 
and was caught in the arms of two strong Arabs. We were 
soon seated in the stern of the boat, and the muscular boat- 
men were pulling for the shore. As we neared the land, the 
dangers of the landing only became apparent. A line of 
rocks, partly hidden by the water, extend along the shore for 
a long distance, about a hundred yards away from it. The 
entrance for the boats is between two rocks, and is very nar- 
row. 

When the wind is high it is difficult to get the boat 
through the narrow opening, and the least miscalculation, on 
the part of the boatmen, would result fatally. The men 
seemed to exert every muscle, and at last, with a favoring 
wave, the boat was driven through the opening, and we 
breathed easier on the smooth waters within the ledge of 
rocks. 

We finally got ashore with the help of the boatmen, by 
stepping on stones and rocks, and entered the narrow streets 
of Jaffa. Our own feelings, on setting our feet upon the firm 
earth again, and upon entering the Land of Palestine, were 
only those of supreme thankfulness to Almighty God, for the 
blessings vouchsafed to us. Other feelings and sensations, 
entirely new, came crowding upon us, as we reflected for a 
moment that we were even now standing upon, the land which 
God gave to the seed of Abraham, but above all, and beyond 
all were our hearts filled with gratitude to the Giver of all 
good, for our safety and for the privilege we enjoyed. Our 
readers, however, will no doubt be more interested in what 
we have seen than as to how we felt, so we shall refer as lit- 
tle as possible to personal feelings, and describe, as well as 
we can, what comes under our observation. 



JAFFA. 187 

Yaffa, as the Arabs now call this city, is the Japho or 
Joppa of the Bible. Anciently it was a Phoenician colony in 
the land of the Philistines. An old tradition says it was 
named after J aphet, the son of Noah, whilst ancient geogra- 
phers claim that a city existed here before the flood. It is 
first named in the Bible, Japho, Joshna 19: 46, and was one 
of the cities that fell to the lot of the tribe of Dan, in the di- 
vision of the land of Canaan, by Joshna, among the Children 
of Israel. 

To Joppa came the Prophet Jonah, sore displeased at 
the command that God had given him, to go and preach to 
the Ninevites. He determined to escape to Tarshish from 
the presence of the Lord, in one of the ships sailing to that 
city. "So he paid the fare thereof and went clown into it, to 
go with them nnto Tarshish." Jonah 1:3. He found, how- 
ever, that it was impossible to escape from the presence of 
the Almighty. Down in the hold of the ship, as he lay asleep, 
evidently secure in his own mind, and gratified at his escape, 
the Lord sought him out and taught him a lesson of obedi- 
ence. 

To this port, without doubt the oldest in the world, Hi- 
ram, King of Tyre, the friend and admirer of David, brought 
the cedars of Lebanon and fir wood, used in the building of 
Solomon's Temple. "And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, 
as much as thou shalt need : and we will bring it to thee in 
floats by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusa- 
lem." 2Chron. 2: 16. 

The missionary spirit and zeal of the apostolic age car- 
ried the Christian religion to Jaffa at an early period. Here 
it was that Peter raised Dorcas from the dead, presenting 
her alive to the weeping widows, who stood by, bearing tes- 
timony to her benevolence; and thus, by a notable miracle, 
turned their sorrow into rejoicing. 



]_88 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

And here he tarried many days, with one Simon, a tan- 
ner, whose house was by the seaside. It was on this house- 
top, as he prayed, that he was taught by a vision, the grand 
truth, that Christ died for all men; that salvation had come, 
not only to the Jews but to the .Gentiles as well. As his 
mind opened and expanded to grasp the great truth of the 
universality of salvation, he exclaimed: "Of a truth, I per- 
ceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every na- 
tion he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is ac- 
cepted with him." Acts 10: 34 

The later history of the city shows that it was subjected 
to many vicissitudes. In 1126 it fell into the possession of 
the Knights of St. John. It was captured by Saladin in 1186, 
and recaptured by Bichard the Lion-hearted, in 1191, and fi- 
nally fell into the hands of the Turks, in 1196, who still re- 
tain possession of it. 

Owing to these disasters it was almost entirely depopu- 
lated, and in the fifteenth century had almost ceased to exist. 
About the close of the seventeenth, and the beginning of the 
eighteenth centuries it began to revive. In 1799 it was cap- 
tured by Napoleon I, and here history records the fact that 
he inhumanly poisoned some of his soldiers, who were at- 
tacked by the plague. He was compelled to retreat, and those 
who were unable to be moved were thus put to death. War 
is full of horrors, and those who engage in it, lose many of 
the finer feelings that exist in the human breast. 

The population of Jaffa, at the present time, is given at 
about 8000 souls. During the last thirty years it has increas- 
ed very rapidly. A Turkish calendar gives the following 
census; instead of giving the number of individuals, the num- 
ber of families is given. They are set down as follows: 865 
Moslem, 135 Greek, 120 Catholic, 6 Maronite, and 5 Armen- 
ian families. 



JAFFA. 



189 



The town trades with Egypt, Syria, Constantinople, and 
some of the interior towns and villages of Palestine, and its 
streets are often crowded with trains of camels and donkeys, 
used in transporting merchandise to the interior. The chief 
exports are soap, wheat and oranges. Silk culture has lately 
been introduced on the plain of Sharon. The oranges of 
Jaffa are the largest, and finest in flavor to be found any- 
where. Indeed they are celebrated in all parts of the East, 
and we heard of the fine oranges of the place, long before we 
reached it. 

One of the principal resources of the inhabitants, is the 
annual passage of great numbers of pilgrims and travelers 
through the town. Annually the pilgrims to Jerusalem, 
from all parts of the world, land at this port, and they num- 
ber many thousands. Here they purchase supplies for the 
journey to J erusalem. Here the traveler usually secures his 
horses, dragomen, camp equipage, and supplies for his ex- 
tended tour through Palestine. ' Here, at this season of the 
year, a busy scene is presented, hundreds of pilgrims are to 
be met in the streets, intent upon arranging for the journey 
to J erusalem. Travelers are to be seen on horseback, trying 
the animals that are to carry them over the hills and mount- 
ains, by rocky paths, through the land. 

It was this trade that has come regularly to Jaffa for 
many centuries, that enabled the place to recover from its 
frequent disasters, and this, without doubt, has been the 
chief cause of its rapid increase within the last century. The 
town is built on the hill-side, facing the sea, the houses with 
their flat roofs rising in tiers one above another. The hous- 
es are built mostly of stone, one or two stories high, and pre- 
sent anything but a pleasing appearance. 

As we first looked at the town from the sea, surrounded 
by its orange groves, we thought it was beautiful, but in the 



190 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

midst of its narrow, dirty streets, the illusion vanishes, and 
w- find it the very reverse of beautiful. We found here, as 
we have many times found before, that first impressions are 
often wrong and misleading. 

A Walk Through Jaffa. 
Before leaving this ancient city, we will take a short 
walk through its streets, visiting, as a place of general inter- 
est, the house of Simon, the tanner. The streets are narrow 
and winding and, near the landing, are filled with bare-legged 
Arabs, camels, donkeys, dogs, and filth. There is an incredi- 
ble amount of dirt and filth in all of these Eastern towns and 
cities under Turkish rule. Usually no effort is made to clean 
the streets, no sidewalks are to be found, and sewers seem to 
be entirely unknown. 

As we walked through .the streets of Jaffa, we found 
their condition horrible. In them were all kinds of filth- 
breeding pestilence. The streets in places were muddy, filthy 
gutters, into which flowed streams of filth from the houses 
at the sides, and, from decaying animal and vegetable matter, 
there arose a stifling stench. In every nook and corner were 
nests of mangy dogs. Donkeys, driven by dirty, half-naked 
men and boys, and laden with large boxes and bales of goods 
hanging on both sides, and going straight forward, without 
regard to footmen, nearly filled the narrow streets, so that we 
were often compelled to stop to allow the caravan to pass. 
Taking all these conditions together, it may well be con- 
ceived that a walk through Jaffa after a rain is far from be- 
ing a pleasure. 

In dry weather the mud disappears and the filth assumes 
the form of dust, which is raised in clouds by the passing an- 
imals, so that in either wet or dry weather the traveler finds 
but little pleasure in tramping through the dirty, old city. 



JAFFA. 



191 



Our walk led us at once to the supposed site of the house 
of Simon, the tanner. Entering an arched way, we ascended 
an ancient stairway, which brought us into a little garden, at 
one side of which, and close by the side of the house, is an 
ancient well. A large, flat stone, with a hole two feet in di- 
ameter, cut through the centre, is laid over the top of the 
well. The water is drawn from the well through this hole in 
the rock, by means of a rope and a leather bucket. The rope 
has cat a number of grooves, more than an inch deep, into 
the solid block of granite, showing that the well has been us- 
ed many centuries, and is very old. Ascending another an- 
cient stone stairway, built at the side of the house, we come 
on the house-top. The house is but one story high, and like 
all the houses here, has a flat, level roof, made by laying first 
heavy timbers on the walls; these are crossed with poles laid 
close together, and on top of these the earth is placed and 
stamped firm and solid, and the roof is completed; grass and 
flowers are found growing on the housetops. 

It is claimed that this house upon which we are now 
standing, occupies the site of the one where Peter tarried, 
and upon which as he was praying he had the wonderful vis- 
ion that led him to preach the Gospel to, and baptize the 
household of Cornelius. Whether this is the same spot upon 
which the house of Simon, the tanner, stood, is a subject of 
some controversy. This may be said in favor of the assump- 
tion that it is. It is by the sea-side, Acts 10: 5, 6, the old 
well showing that here a house must have stood for many 
centuries, and which would also have furnished water for the 
tannery. In this part of the city are also located the tanner- 
ies. 

Dean Stanley, in his excellent work on Sinai and Pales- 
tine, considers that the circumstances are all in favor of the 
site having been truly identified. As we stood upon the 



192 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

house-top, we thought of the great event that occurred, if not 
upon this particular spot, at least not far from it, when the 
divine command was given to include the Gentiles in the fold 
of Christ, Acts 10: 9-23. Below and around us were the 
terrace-like house-tops of the city, and, looking down, almost 
at our feet, the swelling waves of the great sea were break- 
ing over the reefs, and wasting their force on the rocky coast. 
We plucked a few flowers from the house-top and came 
away. 

We learned here that the house-top is a much frequent- 
ed place; that it is yet customary for the occupants in the 
cool of the evening after the heat of the day has passed, to 
resort to the top of the house; that in the warm months many 
of the people sleep there in the open air, and that even yet 
the ancient custom of going on the house-top to pray is 
kept up. It is wonderful how these people adhere to old 
customs and manners. We shall find that in many things, 
they have not changed one iota for thousands of years, and 
that to some extent the same habits and customs are observ- 
ed to-day, that obtained in the days of Abraham. 

In passing through the streets, we see, for the first time, 
the pure Arab type of the human race, supposed to be the 
descendants of Ishmael. They are rather a fine looking peo- 
ple, but are rapidly degenerating. 

As we continued our walk, we found many singular cus- 
toms among the people. Many little shops are to be seen on 
either side of the street, where the different products of the 
country are offered for sale. The shops are small, dark, and 
like the streets, filthy. The only light is admitted at the 
door, windows not being used at all. The custom of the na- 
tive shop-keeper is, to ask a stranger three or four times the 
value of an article. The selling is always attended with 
much disputing and bargaining. The salesman, sitting cross- 



JAFFA. 193 

legged on his mat or rug, makes the most astounding gestic- 
ulation, asserting with great energy all the time that the ar- 
ticle is much too cheap, whilst the intending purchaser, in 
like manner, insists that it is too dear; in this way a half hour 
is often spent, when at last the price is agreed upon, and the 
sale effected. 

Much of the work is clone in the open air. Shoemakers, 
blacksmiths, wood workers and others may be seen busily at 
work in the open streets. We noticed here a barber plying 
his vocation in the streets. He was cutting hair. His cus- 
tomer was seated in the usual manner on the ground, with a 
small looking-glass in his hand, apparently directing the op- 
eration. 

All kinds of work that can by any possible means be per- 
formed in a sitting posture, is sure to be done in that way, 
the feet and toes often being used in the work. A man is 
seen working at a turning lathe; he sits down, turns the lathe 
with one hand, and manages the chisel with the other hand 
and one foot. The blacksmith, sitting on the ground with 
his anvil and fire before him, works away industriously. 

Here we see one of the mills, used and worked almost 
entirely by women. There can be no doubt that this is 
the same kind of a mill used in this country in the olden 
time, and to which reference is so often made in the Bible. 
The mill is exceedingly simple in its construction. Two 
stones, an upper and a nether, about twelve inches in di- 
ameter, and two or three inches thick, are used; a hole, prob- 
ably two inches in diameter, is cut through the lower stone, 
and into this is driven, and firmly wedged, a strong, wood- 
en pin, ten inches long. This pin serves to keep the upper 
stone in its place. Through the center of the upper stone is 
cut a hole nearly three inches in diameter, and near the outer 
edge, another, perhaps two inches in diameter; into the latter 
>.•• 25 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

hole is driven a round stick or peg, which serves as a han- 
dle The mill is now completed. The lower stone is placed 
firmly on the ground and securely fastened to prevent it from 
turning. The upper stone is placed on top of it, and two 
women seated on the ground seize hold of the handle and 
turn the stone rapidly around The grain is fed into the 
hole in the center of the stone by hand and the meal is thrown 
out around the stones as it is ground. The work is hard and 
the process of converting grain into meal is a slow one. 

In the days when Solomon was king, when the children 
of Israel were in the height of their prosperity, then the 
sound of the millstones and of the grinding was heard in 
every home, and it came to be regarded as an evidence of 
the prosperity of the people, and of a bounteous harvest and 
of great plenty in all the land. And so the sound of the 
millstones and of the grinders came to be regarded as much 
an occasion for joy and gladness, as was the voice of the 
bridegroom and the voice of the bride, "Moreover I will take 
from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the 
voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound 
of the millstones, and the light of the candle." Jer. 2o: 10. 

The words of warning and of threatening that so often 
came to Israel from the Almighty, through the mouths of the 
prophets, were couched in language that the people well un- 
derstood. They knew the forrors of a famine, from the 
time that the sons of Jacob went down into Egypt to buy 
corn even to the time when the prophet declared that there 
should be no rain in the land for four years, and the ceasing 
of the sound of the millstones and of the grinders had to 
them a terribly significant meaning. It meant famine, hun- 
ger, starvation, and even death; a time when strong men 
would bow themselves down and tremble, when eyes would 



JAFFA. 



195 



grow dim with suffering, and when mirth and joy would dis- 
appear from among them. 

"In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, 
and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders 
cease; because they are few, and those that look out of the 
windows be darkened, and the doors shall be shut in the 
streets, when the sound of grinding is low, and he shall rise 
up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music 
shall be brought low." Eccles. 12: 3, 4. 

From the earliest times it was the custom for women to 
grind at the mills. Moses, in declaring to Pharaoh that all 
the first-born should die, refers to this fact. Ex. 11: 5. 
"From the first-born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, 
even unto the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind 
the mill." It was to this custom that our Divine Master re- 
ferred, when he uttered these words, "Two women shall be 
grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other 
.left." 

And so we find that this simple, yet useful implement 
came to be often used in the words of prophecy. It seems 
remarkable too, that the same kind of a mill, worked in ex- 
actly the same kind of a way, without change or improvement, 
should be in use in Palestine to-day, as was used here nearly 
four thousand years ago, in the days of Abraham, and of the 
Patriarchs, and later in the time of David and Solomon, and 
later still in the days when our Savior walked on the earth 
among men. 

There can be no doubt that this is true, and it shows 
how little change there has been, and with what tenacity 
these people cling to the old ways of their fathers. Such a 
thing as advancement or improvement is hardly known 
among them. 



196 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

The great glory of Jaffa is, however, the magnificent or- 
ange and lemon groves. They are very extensive, completely 
surrounding the city on the land-side, and for miles the 
scene is one of great beanty. The trees are bending beneath 
the weight of the most luscious fruit, whilst the blossoms 
give forth a sweet perfume, filling the air with a delicious 
scent, which one fully appreciates after a walk through the 
dirty streets. There are over three hundred of these gardens 
or groves, varying in size from three or four to ten or twelve 
acres. Most of the gardens, especially the larger, have two 
wells whilst the others have but one. The water is drawn 
from the wells by means of small buckets, fastened to an end- 
less chain, hung over a wheel. The wheel is turned by hand 
in some cases, whilst in others it is geared to a long sweep or 
crank, and a camel does the work. The water is used to ir- 
rigate the gardens, for without irrigation nothing will grow 
on the land. 

We are here in the height of the season, and men, wom- 
en, and boys are busily engaged in picking oranges. As 
they are taken from the trees, they are wrapped separately 
in white paper, and packed in large boxes or cases. They 
are then carried on camels either to the boat landing or to the 
interior towns. Oranges are sold in the streets of J affa at the 
rate of three and four for one cent, and this for the largest 
and finest fruit, some of it measuring ten to fifteen inches in 
circumference. It is estimated that about 8,000,000 are pro- 
duced annually. Other fruits, such as lemons, pomegranates, 
melons, citrons, etc., also grow to great perfection. All that 
is needed to make the barren, sandy soil bloom like a garden, 
and produce in the most lavish abundance, is plenty of wa- 
ter. 

A school started by the individual exertions of an Eng- 
lish lady, Miss Arnot, in 1863, is doing an excellent work in 



JAFFA. 



197 



J aria. There is nothing that so much excites the wonder, 
and arouses the indignation of the traveler in the East, as 
the lamentable condition of the women. Their degradation 
and ignorance is complete; they are simply slaves. It was 
for the purpose of educating and consequently bettering the 
condition of women, that Miss Arnot began her self-sacrific- 
ing labor. She has now fifty or sixty girls in her school; a 
number of them are boarded in her house, and she is train- 
ing them as native teachers. The work is a noble one, and 
we are glad to note that it is meeting with success. 

We are now ready to start on our way to Jerusalem, and 
to begin our long ride through Palestine. Before giving an 
account of our journey, we shall compile a short historical 
sketch of the land, which we will give to our readers in our 
next letter, and then continue with our trip. 



LETTER IV 



j. Chronological and Historical. 

^&efore continuing our narrative further, we give a chron- 
figf ological table of the principal dates in the history of 
Palestine, with a short historical sketch of the Holy 
Land. The table was compiled by Baedeker, from the best 
authorities, and may be relied upon as being as near correct 
as it is possible to be made. All dates about which there is 
any doubt are marked with an interrogative point, thus — ? 

B c Chronological Table. 

2000? Abraham, the ancestor of the Jews, enters Canaan. 
1500? Jacob with his family migrates to Egypt. 
1390? The birth of Moses. 
1321? Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. 
1075? Samuel anoints Saul as king. 
1055 David becomes king at Hebron. 
1048 David conquers Jerusalem, which he makes his 
capital, and deposits the ark on Mount Zion. 

1010 David conquers Damascus, makes an alliance with 

Hiram, King of Tyre. The kingdom of Israel 
attains its greatest extent and glory. 
1015 David dies, and is succeeded by Solomon. 

1011 Foundation of the Temple. Tyre nourishes under 

Hiram II. 
1004 The Temple dedicated. 

975 The death of Solomon, and the rebellion of the ten 

tribes, resulting in the partition of the King- 
dom. 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 



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CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 201 

b. c. 

728-699 Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, aided by Isaiah and Mi- 
cah, restores the worship of Jehovah; alliance 
with Egypt; Sennacherib invades Jndah when 
on his expedition to Egypt. 

699-43 Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, returns to idolatry but 
afterwards repents. 

643-41 Amoii, son of Manasseh, relapses into idolatry. 

640-10 J osiah, under the guidance of Jeremiah and Zeph- 
aniah, restores the worship of Jehovah; inva- 
sion of the Scythians; reformation by Hilki- 
ah; Josiah falls while fighting against the 
Egyptians at Megiddo; Jehoahaz, son of Josi- 
ah, dethroned by Pharaoh-Necho. 

609-599 Eliakim, brother of Jehoahaz, made king by Necho, 
under the name of Jehoiakim, after Necho' s 
defeat at Carchemish; Jehoiakim serves Neb- 
uchadnezzar, but rebels after three years. 

599 Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim; Nebuchadnezzar 

takes J erusalem and carries away 10,000 cap- 
tives. 

599-88 Zedekiah, uncle of Jehoiachin, relying on Pha- 
raoh-Hophra, King of Egypt, rebels against 
Nebuchadnezzar. 

588 Siege of Jerusalem; destruction of the temple; the 

princes carried away captive to Babylon; oth- 
ers flee to Egypt; end of the Kingdom of Ju- 
dah. 

586 The Babylonians besiege Tyre thirteen years. 

561 J ehoiachin is released from prison by Evil-Mero- 

dach. 

537 By permission of Cyrus, Zerubbabel and Jeshua 

conduct about 50,000 Jews back to Palestine. 



202 LETTEKS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

534 °' Foundation of the second Temple; its erection ob- 
structed by the Samaritans. 

515 Completion of the Temple; restoration of the sac- 

rifices by the priests and Levites. 

458 During the reign of Artaxerxes Longimanus, Ezra 

brings back 6000 J ews. 

444 Nehemiah, of the tribe of Judah, cupbearer of 

Artaxerxes, is appointed governor of J erusa- 
lem, and fortifies the city. 

360 Erection of a temple on Mt. Gerizim, and institu- 

tion of the Samaritan worship. 

351 Sidon destroyed by the Persian King, Ochus. 

333 Alexander the Great conquers Syria after the bat- 

tle of Issus. 

332 Tyre captured and destroyed; the Jews submit to 

Alexander Andromachus and afterward Mem- 

non, governor of Palestine. 
320 Ptolemy takes possession of Syria and Palestine. 

314 Antigonus wrests Palestine from him. 

312 Beginning of the period of the Seleucidse. 

301 Ptolemy recovers Palestine in accordance with the 

treaty of partition after the battle of Ipsus. 
301-221 Prosperous reigns of Ptolemy Lagi, Philadelphus 

and Euergetes. 
218 Antiochus takes possession of Palestine. 

217 After the battle of Eaphia, Palestine again comes 

into the possession of Egypt. 
202 During the minority of Ptolemy Epiphanes, An- 

tiochus occupies Palestine. 
199 Scopas conquers Palestine and cedes it to Ptolemy ; 

"in consequence of the battle of Paneas, An- 
tiochus recovers Palestine. 



CHB0N0L0G1CAL TABLE. 



203 



183 Ptolemy Ephiphanes obtains Palestine as the 

dowry of his wife Berenice, daughter of Anti- 
ochus III. 

176 The high priest Simon, from hatred of Onias, in- 

vites Seleucus Philopater to plunder the Tem- 
ple, which he does and is slain by Heliodorus. 

175 Jason, brother of Onias, purchases the offices of 

high priest of Antiochus. 

169-168 Plundering and desecration of the Temple; Anti- 
ochus endeavors to introduce the Greek re- 
ligion. 

168 Kevolt of the Asmonean Mattathias. 

166 Judas Maccabeus, son of Mattathias, defeats 

Apollonius, Serron, and Gorgias. 
164 Judas defeats the Syrians under Lysias, and takes 

possession of Jerusalem. 
161 Judas defeated by Bacchides. 

161-143 Jonathan Apphus high priest and meridarch. 
143 Beginning of the era of Jewish independence. 

143-135 Simon recognized as hereditary prince in 140. 
135-107 John Hyrcanus conquers Perea and Samaria, 
107-106 Aristobulus conquers Itursea. 
106-78 Alexander Jannreus. 
78-69 Alexandra. 
69 Hyrcanus II. 

69-63 Aristobulus II. afterward carried to Borne; Gabi- 
nus divides the country into five provinces. 

37 Herod, aided by the Bomans, captures Jerusalem, 

and is appointed King by the Boman repub- 
lic ; beginning of the Idumean dynasty. 

37-4 Herod the Great. 

4 Partition of the Kingdom. 



204 



LETTEES FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



A. d. The Birth of Christ. 

6 Quirinius appointed pro-consul; census. Luke 2: 

1-5. 

8-36 Caiaphas high priest. 

26 Pontius Pilate appointed Governor. 

28 Ministry of Christ. Crucified about the year 31. 

36 $Iarcellus succeeds Pilate. 

44 Revolt of Theudas quelled by the procurator, Cus- 

pius Fadus. 
48 Cum anus procurator. 

52 Felix, procurator of Judea. 

60 Porcius Festus, procurator, resides at Csesarea. 

64 Gessius Floras, procurator of Judea, causes the 

outbreak of a rebellion. 
67 Vespasian conquers Galilee. 

70 Titus captures Jerusalem; the Temple burnt and 

the city razed. 

116 Bar Cochba acknowledged as the Messiah by the 

Rabbi Akiba; is put down. 
118 Ammius Rufus, Governor of Palestine. 

130 Bar Cochba heads a predatory war against the 

Romans. 

132 Bar Cochba captures Jerusalem; Julius Servius 

sent by Hadrian, storms Jerusalem. 

135 Bar Cochba slain; Jerusalem converted into a 

heathen colony, under the name of iElia Cap- 
itolina. 

218-222 Antonius Emperor of Rome. 

223-336 Constantine the Great, Emperor of Rome, embrac- 
es Christianity. 

326 Pilgrimage of St. Helena, mother of Constantine, 

to Jerusalem. 



CHEONOLOGICAL TABLE. 205 

A. D. 

527-565 Justinian I. 

616 Chosroes II., King of Persia, captures Palestine 

and Syria. 

622 Heraclius, Emperor of Byzantium, reconquers 

these provinces. 
570 or 571 Birth of Mohammed. 
622 Mohammed's flight from Mecca. 

632 Mohammed's death. 

632-634 Abu Bekr, father-in-law of Mohammed, first Kha- 
lif ; Bosra in Syria, conquered by his general, 
Khalid. 

634-644 Omar, Khalif. 

636 Defeat of the Byzantines; Syria falls into the 

hands of the Arabs; Damascus, Jerusalem 
and Antioch captured. 

644-1096 Palestine and Syria in the hands of the Moham- 
medan Khalif s. 

1096 The beginning of the first Crusade; Godfrey De 

Bouillon, Baldwin, Bohemund, Baimund IV. 

1098 The Crusaders capture Antioch. 

1099 Baldwin declared prince- of Edessa; conquest of 

Jerusalem; Godfrey De Bouillon, King, de- 
feats the Egyptians at Ascalon. 

1100-1118 Baldwin I., King of Jerusalem; the Franks cap- 
ture Caesarea; Tripoli, and Beyroot. 

1118-1131 Baldwin II.; under him the dominions of the Cru- 
saders reach their greatest extent 

1131-1143 Fulke, of Anjou, King of Jerusalem. 

1143-1162 Baldwin III. conquers Acre. 

1146 Nureddin, son of Zenghi captures Damascus and 

Edessa, and oppresses the Franks. 
1147-1149 Second Crusade. 



206 LETTERS EROM BIBLE LANDS. 

1148*" The Franks endeavor to capture Damascus, of 
which Nureddin gains possession six years 
later. 

1161 Saladin captures Egypt. 

1162-1173 Amalrich, King of Jerusalem, undertakes a cam- 
paign against Egypt. 

1173-1185 Baldwin IV., the leper. 

1180 Victory of the Franks at Bamleh. 

1183 Saladin becomes master of the whole of Syria, ex- 

cept the Frank possessions. 

1185- 1186 Baldwin V. 

1186- 1187 Guy of Lusignan. 

1187 Saladin gains a victory at Hattin, and conquers 

nearly all of Palestine. 
1189-1192 Third Crusade under Richard Cceur De Lion, 

Frederic Barbarossa and Philip Augustus. 
1193 Saladin cedes the seaboard from Yaffa to Acre to 

the Franks; death of Saladin. 
1228-1229 Fifth Crusade; Frederick II. obtains Jerusalem. 
1244 The Khaurezmians and Egyptians ravage Syria. 

1259- 60 The Mongols conquer Central Syria, and penetrate 

as far as Egypt. 

1260- 77 The Sultan of Egypt recaptures Damascus, and 

defeats the Franks. 

1291 His son, Melik El-Ashraf , puts an end to the Cru- 

saders' rule in Palestine.. 

1400 Timur conquers Syria. 

1518 Selim I. takes Syria and makes it a part of the 

Turkish Empire. 
1799 Napoleon conquers Yaffa; battle of Mt. Tabor; re- 

treat. 

1832 The country ceded to Egypt by Turkey. 

1839 Turkey introduces reforms. 



HISTOEY OF PALESTINE. 207 

A. D. 

1840 Intervention of European powers; Syria recon- 

quered for Turkey by an English fleet. 

1847 An affray in the church of the Nativity leads, aft- 

er long negotiation, to a war with Russia 1852 
-56. 

1860 Druses rise against Christians; French expedi- 

tion 1861. 

Historical Sketch of Palestine. 

The Bible gives the best, and most complete record of 
the ancient history of Palestine; additional information is 
obtained from Josephus and other Jewish writers, as well as 
from various ancient Egyptian and Assyrian records and in- 
scriptions. For later accounts, we are indebted to the Greeks 
and Romans and to the modern historian. 

The name Palestine ( Hebrew Peleshth ) referred former- 
ly only to Philistia, but, in time, came to be applied to the 
whole country. The oldest name of the country is Canaan, 
given it by the descendants of Canaan, the youngest son of 
Ham. Gen. 9: 18; 10: 15-19. The Land of Promise occurs 
once in the New Testament. "By faith he sojourned in the 
Land of Promise as in a strange country." Heb. 11: 9. This 
name, by its frequent use, has become quite familiar. In 
Hosea 9: 3, we find the name Land of Jehovah, whilst in 1 
Sam. 13: 19, it is called the Land of Israel. Judea was the 
name originally applied to the portion of Judah, but after 
Solomon's death and the rebellion of the ten tribes, this 
name was given to the southern kingdom, whilst the ten 
tribes in the North took the name of the Kingdom of Israel. 
One of the most familiar names of the country is the Holy 
Land. "The Lord shall inherit his portion in the Holy 
Land." Zech. 2: 12. It is a favorite name with the Jews, and 
is, perhaps, the most popular name given to the land. 



208 LETTEBS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

The country was first settled after the flood by the de- 
scendants of Canaan. Ear back, in the dim ages of tradi- 
tion, came a tribe of people from the Tigris, the descendants 
of Shem, and settled in Mesopotamia. While here, a part 
of the tribe separated from the rest, traveled to the south- 
west, and settled in Haran. From this place God called 
Abram, the son of Terah, and commanded him to go into 
the land of Canaan, and at this point begins the Bible his- 
tory of Palestine. Abram went up into Canaan, and here he 
gave an evidence of his generosity and nobleness of heart, 
by allowing his brother Lot to select such portion of the 
land as might seem good to him. 

Abram dwelt in tents and was exceedingly rich in flocks, 
herds and servants, and in the beautiful valleys in what was 
afterwards the portion of Benjamin, he found excellent pas- 
turage for his flocks. A famine drove him to Egypt. To 
this day the descendants of Abraham, by Ishmael, the son 
of the bondwoman, live in tents, and lead much the same 
kind of life as did their great ancestor, nearly four thousand 
years ago. The Bedouin Arab is a natural rover. With his 
flocks and herds, his family and tents, he flits from place to 
place seeking pasture and good water for man and beast; as 
in the old time, so yet in the dry seasons, when famine comes, 
he goes down into Egypt. 

After the return of Abram from the land of the Pha- 
raohs, occurred the battle of the Kings, and he is called, for 
the firsttime, the Hebrew. After the rescue of his brother 
Lot, he again settles near Bethel. At this time there were 
but few towns in Canaan; the Bible gives the names of Si- 
chem, Bethel, Salem and a few others. In the twenty-second 
chapter of Genesis, we have an account of the purchase of a 
field and cave from the sons of Heth, by Abraham. It was 
upon this purchase, and the right of ownership established 



HISTORY OF PALESTINE. 



209 



by their father Abraham, that the Hebrews afterwards found- 
ed their claim to the Land of Promise. 

The Hebrews, owing to a famine, migrated to Egypt, 
where they remained 430 years in bondage and slavery to the 
Egyptians. Grown to be a powerful people, they were led 
out of their bondage under the leadership of Moses, who, by 
the hand of the Lord, performed many signs and wonders. 
After many years of wanderings in the wilderness, they fi- 
nally entered the promised land under Joshua, and camped 
at Gilgal, near the ancient city of Jericho. 

Now began a series of wars between the Hebrews and 
the different tribes of Canaan, which ended, after sixteen 
years, in the conquest of the country, a few tribes being al- 
lowed to remain, in order to "prove Israel." The land was 
divided among them by Joshua, and the division was made 
by lot. Dan, Benjamin, Judah and Simeon received their 
inheritance in the southern part of the country. The cen- 
tral portion fell to the lot of Ephraim, the half tribe of Ma- 
nasseh, Issachar and Zebulun. Naphtali and Asher found 
their homes in the North, bordering on Syria; whilst Eeuben, 
Gad and the other half of Manasseh remained in the east 
side of the Jordan, occupying a strip of land extending from 
Moab, on the south, to the foot of Hermon, on the north. 

After the death of Joshua, the Israelites were ruled a 
few years by the elders. But as they grew in numbers and 
importance, the patriarchal form ■ of government gave place 
to a number of rulers, called judges. These ruled Israel 
from the time of Othniel until the time of Samuel, 450 years. 
In imitation of the countries around them, the people now 
demanded a king, and Samuel, after protesting against the 
request, at last acceded to it, and, by divine command, anoint- 
ed Saul, the son of Kish, to be king over Israel. This oc- 
curred 1075 years before the birth of Christ. Saul, upon 

27 j, 



210 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

liis elevation to the throne, forgot that kings should obey as 
well as command, and, for his disobedience, he was overcome 
by the Philistines, and fell by his own hand on the mount- 
ains of Gilboa. 

David became king in 1055 B. C, during whose glorious 
reign Israel reached the zenith of her glory and power. He 
conquered the land anew, and purged it of foreigners and 
idolaters. He took the city of Jebus from the Jebusites, and 
built on Mt. Zion a castle, around which his future capital, 
the city of Jerusalem, sprang up. He conquered Syria and 
Damascus, and put king 'Hani ath under tribute. The Philis- 
tines, the Moabites and Edomites, who were ancient enemies 
of Israel, were subdued and humbled. At the end of his 
long reign of forty years, his son Solomon ascended a peace- 
ful throne. The great temple was now built, and Jerusalem 
became the great religious and politic.nl capital of the Jews. 
The country continued to prosper under the wise reign of 
Solomon. He also reigned for forty years, and died 975 B. 
C. After his death, the brief period of prosperity enjoyed 
by the empire passed away, and it began to decline rapidly. 
The kingdom was rent in twain, and from this time forth we 
have the Kingdom of Israel, composed of the ten tribes, and 
the Kingdom of Judah, composed of the tribes of Benjamin 
and Judah. 

The two rival kingdoms were often at war with each other, 
and, owing to their internal disputes, fell an easy prey to 
their enemies. The sovereigns of both kingdoms, owing to 
the influence of Jezebel, the Syrian princess, and her daugh- 
ter Athaliah, fell into idolatry. At this time, the prophets 
Elijah and Elisha labored zealously to reform the people. 
They were sent with messages from the Almighty, containing 
threats of future punishment if they persisted in their idol- 
atry, and promises of future blessings if they repented. 



HISTORY OF PALESTINE. 



211 



The northern kingdom, "being in close proximity to the 
Syrians, was, at length, entirely abandoned to the worship of 
strange gods, and in the year 722 B. (X, 253 years after the 
death of Solomon, the kingdom of Israel was entirely de- 
stroyed by Shalmanezer, king of Assyria. The people were 
carried into captivity and distributed among the cities of the 
Assyrians and Medes. The country was occupied by colonies 
of Assyrians, sent by the king, and they, adopting the Jew- 
ish customs and intermarrying and intermingling with the 
remnant of the ten tribes left in the land, developed into a 
mixed race, known as the Samaritans. The ten tribes are 
often spoken of as the lost tribes of Israel. 

The Kingdom of Judah still retained its independence, 
and, under the influence of Hezekiah and the great prophet 
Isaiah, the people were brought to discard the idols, and to 
worship God. This reformation lasted but a short time, and 
the country again relapsed into idolatrous worship. Josiah, 
under whose reign the prophet J eremiah labored, succeeded 
in restoring the worship of God in all of its purity, only to 
be followed by another relaj)se into wickedness. Finally, in 
the year 599 B. C.,'376 years after the death of Solomon, the 
Kingdom of Judah succumbed to Nebuchadnezzar, who car- 
ried king Jehoiakim and ten thousand of the principal in- 
habitants into captivity. Solomon's Temple and much of the 
city were destroyed. 

After seventy years of captivity, Cyrus, King of Persia, 
captured Babylon. He restored the J ews to Palestine, and 
furnished means to rebuild the temple, thus fulfilling the 
words of Jeremiah, the prophet, uttered many years before. 
The rebuilding of the temple developed the bitterest feeling 
between the Jews and Samaritans. The latter essayed to 
join the Jews, but they were refused, and they, shortly after, 
built a temple on Mt. Gerizim, where they ever after worshiped, 



212 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

and where, to this day, the feast of the Passover is observed 
by a remnant of the Samaritans. 

The Persian Empire fell before the power of Alexander 
the Great, and Palestine became a province of Macedonia. 
Again the words of prophecy were fulfilled. Under the 
reign of Alexander, the Jews had many privileges granted 
to them, and every seventh year the taxes were remitted. In 
312 B. C, the country came into the hands of Alexander's 
generals, and became again the scene of war and bloodshed. ^ 
Antiochus captured the country about 200 B. C, and visited 
the most horrible cruelties on the Jews. He established 
Greek idolatry; commanded the Jews to desist from sacrific- 
ing in the temple, which he robbed and desecrated. From 
this tyranny the Jews revolted, and, under the Maccabees, 
defeated the Syrians, and, finally, in 163 B. 0., gained their 
independence. 

Judas Maccabseus was recognized as Governor of Judea, 
and founded the house of the Asmonean princes, who ruled 
until the year 37 B. C. Herod the Great now obtained, 
through the Bomans, the governorship of Judea, and it was 
during his reign that so many magnificent buildings were 
erected, the ruins of which remain to-day. He rebuilt and 
beautified the temple during his reign. In about the four 
thousandth year of the world, our Savior was born in Beth- 
lehem of Judea. This event marks a great epoch in the his- 
tory of the country. It became the center of Christianity, 
and from that time until now, Christians from all parts of 
the world regard the Holy Land with a peculiar interest. 
Herod ordered the massacre of the babes of Bethlehem, and 
soon after this he was smitten with a loathsome disease, and 
died. 

The country was now divided among his sons. Philip 
received the districts of the Hauran; Antipas, Galilee and 



HISTORY OF PALESTINE. 



213 



Perea; and Archelaus, Judea and Idnmea. Archelaus was, 
in a few years, deposed for maladministration in office, and 
his territory was governed by procurators appointed directly 
from Eome. Pontius Pilate was governor at the time of the 
death of our Savior, and his connection with that event is 
well known. The Jews now revolted against the foreign yoke 
of Rome. The Romans marched against Jerusalem, under 
Titus, and besieged it; in the year 71 A. D., it was taken 
with great slaughter, and totally destroyed. 

The siege is noted in history, and, according to Jose- 
phus, must have been a terrible carnival of famine, disease, 
bloodshed and death. It is estimated that rj early one mill- 
ion lives were lost in the siege. Josephus says, speaking of 
the burning of the temple: 

"While the flames were consuming this magnificent 
structure, the soldiers, eager after plunder, put all to death 
that fell in their way. They spared neither age nor rank; 
the old as well as the young, priests as well as laymen were 
put to the edge of the sword. All were involved in the gen- 
eral carnage; and those who had recourse to supplication, 
were not more humanely treated than such as had the cour- 
age to defend themselves to the last extremity. The groans 
of the dying were intermingled with the crackling of the 
flames, which continued to gain ground; and the conflagra- 
tion of so vast an edifice, together with the height of its situ- 
ation, led those who beheld it at a distance, to suppose that 
the whole city was on fire. Such were the magnitude and 
violence of the conflagration, that the hill on which the tem- 
ple stood, seemed to be on fire to its very foundation. The 
blood flowed in such abundance, that it seemed to contend 
with the flames which should extend the farthest. The num- 
ber of the slain surpassed that of those who sacrificed them 
to their vengeance and indignation: and the ground was cov- 



214 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

ererl with carcasses, and the soldiers walked over them to 
pursue, by so hideous a path, those who fled." 

After this terrible calamity, but little is heard of the 
Jews until in the year 133 A. I). Under the leadership of 
one Simon, they again revolted against the Eomans, and car- 
ried on a desultory warfare for three years, after which the 
insurrection was completely quelled, and the last vestige of 
the power of the Jews was broken. They were driven out of 
the country, and no Jew was allowed to enter Jerusalem. 
From this time until the year 611 A. D., Palestine remained 
a Eoman province, and the Jews were scattered to all parts 
of the world. 

About the latter date, Palestine and Syria were taken 
from the Romans by Chosroes, King of Persia. From this 
period dates the consolidation of the Arab tribes under the 
sway of Mohammedanism. The teachings of the false 
prophet united the wandering tribes, and led them to give 
up warring among themselves, and to attack the Persian Em- 
pire, which submitted to them early in the seventh century. 
In 635 they captured Damascus, and two years later Jerusa- 
lem fell into the hands of Omar, their second Caliph, and the 
entire land came under the Moslem rule where it has remain- 
ed with a slight interruption, until the present day. 

The Mosque of Omar was built on Mt. Moriah, the site 
of Solomon's temple, and it stands there to-day. The coun- 
try suffered much at the hands of the Moslems; Christians 
were massacred, and returning pilgrims filled Europe with 
the story of their sufferings and wrongs, and of the barbar- 
ous cruelty of the followers of Mohammed. "Then came a 
time when the whole of Christian Europe went on a pilgrim- 
age, but this pilgrimage was made under arms, and with a 
firm resolve of conquering from the infidels the tomb of 
Christ, and the country consecrated by his presence." 



HISTORY OF PALESTINE, 



215 



The Crusades were begun with the object of driving the 
Moslems from the Holy Land. The first Crusade was little 
more than a mob of fanatics, who believed that they would 
be miraculously led to conquer the infidels. They perished 
by thousands, and their line of march was strewn with their 
corpses. They were followed, however, by brave and deter- 
mined men, and in 1099 A. D., Jerusalem was carried by 
storm, amidst the most frightful carnage, and the standard of 
the cross again floated from the citadel of David. For a 
brief space of not quite ninety years, the Crusaders held Pal- 
estine. In 1187 it was again brought under Mohammedan 
rule by Saladin. Forty years later Frederick the Second, of 
Germany, undertook a crusade, and Jerusalem fell into his 
hands, and ten years later, was again in the hand of the Mos- 
lems. The country for the succeeding centuries was torn by 
the dissensions of its rulers. In 1799 Napoleon the First 
conceived the project of capturing Jerusalem. He carried 
Jaffa by storm, but was compelled to retreat before the Eng- 
lish and Turks. 

During the greater part of the first half of the present 
century, the country was again the scene of insurrections and 
wars, between the different factions of the Moslem faith. In 
1840, by the help of England and Austria, the Turks regain- 
ed their control of the country. A treaty was made, extend- 
ing religious toleration to all alike. 

The last of the many tragedies of which Syria and Pal- 
estine have been the theatre, occurred in 1860, when the Mo- 
hammedans, in a rage of fanaticism, massacred about 14,000 
Christians. Damascus was the centre of the revolt. The 
Christian quarter of the city was burnt to the ground, and 
over 6,000 men, women, and children, were ruthlessly put to 
death. Since then, comparative quiet has been restored, but 
even now the Druses, a fanatical faction of the Moslem faith, 



216 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

are extremely bitter towards Christians, and would gladly 
engage in their extermination. 

Such is a short sketch of the history of the Holy Land, 
extending over a period of nearly 4,000 years. The record is 
full of human suffering and woe. During these years, many 
nations of the earth battled on its historic plains. War 
spread its wide desolation over the country that once flowed 
with milk and honey, and to-day are visible the marks of the 
terrible conflicts. But it is not merely history that gives 
rise to feelings of such thrilling interest in the heart of the 
traveler, as he traverses the mountains and valleys of the Ho- 
ly Land, but it is "the belief \that on yonder earth the Creator 
once trod with human feet, bowed down with human suffer- 
ing, linked to humanity by the divinest sympathy— that of 
sorrow; bedewing our tombs with his tears, and consecrating 
our world with his blood." Such thoughts as these come 
to the mind as we wend our way through the sacred places of 
this consecrated land, and this gives it a far greater and more 
absorbing interest, than the recital of its conflicts. The 
most careless traveler is led to reflect upon the life and char- 
acter of Jesus of Nazareth, and to think of the words uttered 
by him who spake as man never yet spake. 



LETTER V. 



From Jaffa to Kamleh. 

Se are now ready for our ride across the plain of Sha- 
H|]§| roil > over the hills and mountains of Judea to the City 
' of Jerusalem. The road leads through the town or 
village of Ramleh, and the distance is about forty miles. 
Our time, owing to the delay of the steamer, is somewhat 
shortened, and, in order to gain a part of what we have lost, 
we must finish the last part of our ride by starlight, and en- 
ter the Holy City by night 

At 11 o'clock A. M. we leave Jaffa, riding through the 
narrow streets out of the town, into the magnificent orange 
and lemon orchards, protected on either side of the roadway 
by impenetrable cactus hedges. The day is bright and clear; 
the air warm and balmy, and laden with the sweet scent of 
orange blossoms, whilst the golden, luscious fruit hangs 
temptingly from the trees. Further on, the road is nicely 
shaded by cypress and sycamore trees. In every direction 
the water wheels are to be seen in operation, drawing water 
for the gardens and orchards; for every tree and shrub grow- 
ing here owes its life and existence to the water drawn from 
the wells. 

Leaving the orchards and gardens, we enter the beauti- 
ful and fertile plain of Sharon, so noted in the days of Isra- 
el for the fertility of its soil, the richness of its pastures, and 
the beauty of its flowers. 

"And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks." Is. 65: 10. "I 
am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valley." Songs of 
Solomon 2:1. 



218 LETTERS EROM BIBLE LANDS. 

The broad, beautiful plain which is blooming like a gar- 
den, extends from the great sea to the hill country, and from 
Jaffa to C^esarea. By the way-side thousands of Solomon's 
roses (a species of the mallow) are unfolding their buds, 
whilst countless numbers are in full bloom, fairly dotting the 
great plain with red and crimson. Among the flowers are to 
be seen the narcissus, meadow saffron, anemone, lily, "Sav- 
ior's blood drop," the little blue "forget-me-not," and many 
other beautiful flowers —all growing wild in the greatest 
profusion. 

The sand from the sea is gradually encroaching on this 
fair plain. Year by year, the strong wind, blowing from the 
Mediterranean, carries the sand farther and farther inland, 
and the time will come, without doubt, when the words of 
the prophet Isaiah shall be fulfilled: "The earth mourneth 
and languisheth; Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down; Sha- 
ron is like a wilderness." Isa. 33: 9. Literally, Lebanon has 
been hewn down, and the constantly moving sand is fast con- 
verting "the excellency of Sharon" into a wilderness. The 
soil, free from sand, is exceedingly fertile and produces rich > 
crops after the early and latter rains. 

Water is also found in abundance by digging wells. In 
many places, this is done, the land irrigated and abundant 
Harvests secured. The scene presented, as we rode over the 
plain on this early spring day, in the middle of March, was 
a busy, as well as an interesting one. The husbandmen were 
busy at work, plowing the ground and sowing the seed, so 
that it might have the advantage of the latter rains, which, 
we found, to our discomfort, had not yet ceased. Camels, ox- 
en, mules and donkeys were to be seen on every hand, yoked 
or hitched to the primitive plows with which the farmers 
were stirring the soil. 



THE PLAIN OF SHARON. 



219 



The rude implement used for plowing is, in many cases, 
made after the pattern used in Palestine two thousand years 
ago. Occasionally we see a slight attempt at improvement, 
but, for the most part, the farmers are quite content to use 
the same kind of agricultural im|3lements used by their an- 
cient fathers. The plows that we examined were exceeding- 
ly simple in construction. A strong, tough piece of wood, 
about three and half feet long, serves for both plowshare 
and handle, Near the center is mortised a hole, into which 
a long pole is securely fastened, which may be called a beam, 
but better a tongue. It is long enough to reach to the yoke 
on the necks of the oxen, to which it is fastened by a rope or 
piece of raw-hide. One end of the piece of wood is pointed 
and is sometimes armed with a piece of iron resembling a 
bull tongue, — the plowshares to which reference is made in 
Joel 3: 10 — whilst the other end, with a short, round cross- 
piece fitted on it, serves as a handle. It has only one han- 
dle, and we see, at once, how appropriate the language of our 
Lord: "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and look- 
ing back, is fit for the kingdom of heaven." Luke 9: 62. 

With one hand the farmer grasps the handle of his plow; 
in the other he carries a strong, stout pole, about eight feet 
long, armed at one end with an iron bit, or chisel, used for 
scraping the dirt from the plow, and, at the other, with a 
with a sharp spear, used as an ox-goad. We examined one 
of these ox-goads closely, and could well believe that it might 
become, in the hands of a strong man, a powerful and dead- 
ly weapon, as the Philistines found, to their sorrow, when 
Shamgar, son of Anath, slew of them six hundred men with 
only such a weapon. Judges 3: 31. 

We dismounted at one place and tried the plow, the Arab 
looking on, apparently in amusement, at our vain efforts to 
handle the rude implement with one hand and make it work. 



220 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

It was a difficult task, and we soon gave it up, willing to ac- 
knowledge that the Arab could beat us plowing with one 
hand. 

The ground is not turned over, only stirred, but by cross- 
plowing several times, it is made tolerably fine to the depth 
of a couple of inches, and the seed is sown. But it seems 
wonderful, indeed, that any crop can be raised with the meth- 
ods of cultivation employed. What a surprise and wonder 
would one of our fine steel prairie plows be to these simple- 
minded Arabs, and how the products of this rich and fertile 
plain might be increased by proper cultivation! Wheat, bar- 
ley and sesame are the crops usually grown, and these, even 
with the indifferent tilling of the soil, produce rich harvests. 

Ascending a slight elevation and looking over the busy 
scene presented on Sharon's plain, we counted forty camels 
drawing plows, whilst the oxen, mules and donkeys, at the 
same kind of work, were far more numerous. 

The road we are now traveling has, for ages, been the 
main thoroughfare between Jaffa and Jerusalem. Across 
this plain were carried the cedar and the fir trees used by 
Solomon in the construction of the temple. Over this high- 
way, prophets and apostles, priests and kings have walked 
and ridden from the sea to the Holy City. It has resounded 
to the martial tread of the Crusaders, intent on victory or 
death, beneath the standard of the Cross. Over this road 
the feet of millions of weary pilgrims have trod, with only 
one object in view,— to see Jerusalem, the birth-place and 
the tomb of our Lord, and there to lie down and die. Watch- 
towers stand on the rising ground all along the road, only a 
few miles apart. These were used when the plain was in- 
fested by robbers, and a few soldiers were stationed at each 
tower to protect the pilgrims from the roving Bedouins. The 



THE TOWER OF EAMLEH. 



221 



road is now perfectly safe, and the towers are fast falling to 
ruin. 

Ten miles from Jaffa we reach Eamleh, a town of about 
4,000 inhabitants. It is fairly well built, and surrounded by 
delightful gardens and groves. Tradition links this place 
with the Arimathea of the New Testament, the home of that 
disciple who gave the new sepulchre, wherein man never lay, 
for the burial of our Savior, and also the home of Nicode- 
mus, who came to Jesus by night. A church is shown, which 
is said to occupy the site of the house of the latter disciple. 
History, however, contains no reference to this tradition, and 
it must be accepted, if accepted at all, without historical evi- 
dence. The. interior of the town is mean and filthy, and one 
is glad to escape from its stifling smells. 

Near by stands the great tower of Ramleh, said to have 
been built by the Crusaders. It is square, and is ascended 
by one hundred and twenty stone steps, circling around the 
inner side. The steps are worn down by the tread of many 
f ee t. We climbed to the top of the tower, and were repaid 
by a view, not only inexpressibly grand, but full of interest. 
The eye ranges over a vast extent of the Holy Land, from 
Gaza, on the south, to Caesarea, on the north; from Mount 
Carmel to the sandy desert of Philistia; from the mountains 
of Samaria and Juclea, on the east, to the sea, on the west. 
Nearly at our feet lies the village of Lydda, whose white 
walls are gleaming in the bright sunshine, and we remember 
that it was here that Peter healed Eneas, who was sick for 
eight years with the palsy, and all that dwelt at Lydda and 
Saron (Sharon), when they saw this miracle, turned to the 
Lord. Acts 9: 32-35. Farther away we have, in full view, 
the villages that mark the sites of those royal cities, the 
pride of ancient Philistia, Ashdod, Askelon and Gath. Here, 
too, from the going down of the upper Beth-horon, is the 



222 LETTEKS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

valley of Ajalon, where Joshua smote the five kings of the 
Amorites, and where, at the command of the Almighty, the 
sun stood still, and the moon Avas stayed in her course. 
These, and many more places, are spread out in the grand 
panorama before us. Yast, beautiful and diversified, the eye 
is fascinated with the beauties of Sharon's plain and the 
picturesque grandeur of Judea : s mountains, whilst the imag- 
ination is busy peopling hills and valleys with the heroes of 
the Bible. 

The Lepers. 

At Eamleh we saw, for the first time, a company of lep- 
ers—a horrible sight, with which we were destined to become 
more familiar before finishing our journey in Palestine. 
There were ten or twelve of them sitting by the way-side, at 
the entrance of the town. As we approached them, they all 
got up and crowded around us, holding their arms and hands 
up, so that we could see their terrible condition, at the same 
time uttering the most mournful and beseeching cries for 
help. Nothing can be more deplorable than their condition; 
and their agonizing cries and the sight of their wretched 
state would bring pity to the hardest heart. In some the dis- 
ease had gone so far that only the stump of a hand was left; 
joint after joint of the fingers had decayed, shriveled and 
fallen away, until all were gone. In others the arms were a 
mass of sores to the elbows, and the face presented a most 
horrible and disgusting sight. 

In the law of Moses, most particular directions are giv- 
en, first, for the detection of the disease, and secondly, for 
the separation of the unclean people from the camp of Israel. 
It was by the means provided for in Leviticus, 13th and 14th 
chapters, that the dread disease was kept from spreading 
among the people. After being separated from the camp, 
they were shunned and dreaded by all, and if they saw any 



THE LEPERS. 



223 



one approach tliern, they were compelled to cry out, "Unclean ! 
unclean!" When the ten lepers met our Savior, they lifted 
up their voices from afar in entreaty and supplication for 
help, perhaps with the thought that he would give them an 
alms; but he commanded them to go according to the law, 
and show themselves unto the priests; and lo, as they went, 
they were healed. As then, so now, the disease is incurable, 
except by the hand of the Almighty. As then, so now, the 
lepers raise their voices in entreaty, as the traveler approach- 
es them. As then, so now, they are shunned by. all; they 
live apart, outside of the villages, in some old, ruined build- 
ings, subsisting on the charity of the travelers and the vil- 
lagers. They intermarry, and so the dread disease is propa- 
gated, for their offspring are always leprous. 

It seems strange, indeed, that these wretched people are 
allowed to intermarry and thus propagate the horrible dis- 
ease of leprosy. But, under the Turkish government, little 
attention is paid to the welfare of the common people. San- 
itary questions do not seem to concern the tyrants who rule 
and ruin the country. As a result, many children are born 
into the world — bright and healthy-looking at first — only to 
become the the victims of this terrible and loathsome disease. 
According to the best medical authority, leprosy is incurable, 
and so it has been regarded in all ages of the world. No one 
afflicted with it has ever been healed, except by divine aid. 
God alone can heal and restore the flesh to the leper. 

When Naaman came from Damascus to the king of Is- 
rael, and presented his letter, asking that he might be cured 
of the leprosy, the king was amazed beyond measure. He 
rent his clothes and cried, "Am I God, to kill and make alive, 
that this man doth send to me to recover a man from lepro- 
sy?" 2 Kings 5: 7. This strong language shows that the 
king of Israel regarded the healing of a leper as great a mir- 



224 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

acle as retoring a dead man to life. And when the Syrian 
had humbled himself enough to wash in the Jordan, and his 
flesh came upon him again, as the flesh of a child, he said, 
"Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, 
but in Israel." 2 Kings 5: 15. 

At Damascus, where, singular to say, the disease is yet 
to be found, and there is no doubt that it has clung to the 
city ever since the days of Naaman, there is a hospital for 
lepers, as well as at Jerusalem, supported by charity. Here 
the sufferers have medical treatment, but most of them choose 
not to enter the hospital, as they are not allowed to marry 
when once they enter, and they prefer the liberty rather than 
the care afforded them in the hospitals. 

Dr. Thompson gives a striking analogy between leprosy 
and sin, and it illustrates the character of both diseases so 
well that we quote it in full: 

"There is nothing in the entire range of human phenom- 
ena which illustrates so impressively the divine power of the 
Eedeemer, and the nature and extent of his work of mercy 
in man's behalf, than this leprosy. There are many striking 
analogies between it and the more deadly leprosy of sin, 
which has involved our whole race in one common ruin. It 
is feared as contagious; it is certainly and inevitably heredi- 
tary; it is loathsome and polluting; its victim is shunned as 
unclean; it is most deceitful in its action. New-born children 
of leprous parents are often as pretty and as healthy in ap- 
pearance as any others; but, by and by, its presence and work- 
ings become visible in some of the signs described in the 13th 
chapter of Leviticus. The scab comes on, by degrees, in 
different parts of the body; the hair falls from the head and 
eyebrows; the nails loosen, decay and fall off; joint after 
joint of the fingers and toes shrinks up, and slowly falls 
away; the gums are absorbed, the teeth disappear; the nose, 



THE LEPERS. 



225 



the eyes, the tongue and the palate are slowly consumed, and, 
finally, the wretched victim sinks into the earth and disap- 
pears, while medicine has no power to stay the ravages of 
this fell disease, or even to mitigate sensibly its tortures. 

"Who can fail to find, in all this, a most affecting type of 
man's moral leprosy? Like it, this, too, is hereditary, and 
with infallible certainty. As surely as we have inherited it 
from our fathers, do we transmit it to our children. None 
escape. • The infant, so lively with its cherub smile and in- 
nocent prattle, has imbibed the fatal poison. There are 
those, I know, who, as they gaze on the soft, clear heaven of 
infancy's laughing eye, reject, with horror, the thought that 
even here the leprosy of sin lies deep within. So any one 
might think and say who looked upon a beautiful babe in the 
arms of its leprous mother. But, alas! give but time enough, 
and the physical malady manifests its presence, and does its 
work of death. And so in the antitype. If left unchecked 
by power divine, the leprosy of sin will eat into the very 
texture of the soul, and consume everything lovely and pure 
in human character, until the smiling babe becomes the 
traitor Iscariot, a Nero, a Caesar Borgia, or a bloody Kobes- 
pierre. They were all once smiling infants. 

"Again, leprosy of the body none but God can cure. So, 
also, there is only one Physician who can cleanse the soul 
from the leprosy of sin. Medicines ot man's device are of 
no avail, but with Him, none are needed. He saw the ten 
lepers who stood afar off, and lifted up their voices and cried, 
'Jesus, Master, have mercy upon us. And when he saw them, 
he said unto them, Go, show yourselves unto the priests; and 
as they went, they were cleansed.' And, with the same di- 
vine power, He says to many a moral leper, 'Go in peace; thy 
sins be forgiven thee,' and it happens unto them according to 
their faith. To my mind, there is no conceivable manifesta- 

29 



226 LETTEES FEOM BIBLE LANDS. 

tion of divine power more triumphantly confirmatory of 
Christ's divinity than the cleansing of a leper with a word. 
When looking at those Landless, eyeless, tongueless wrecks 
of humanity, the unbelieving question starts unbidden, 'Is it 
possible that they can be restored?' Yes, it is more than 
possible. It has been accomplished once and again by the 
mere volition of Him who spake, and it was done. And He 
who can cleanse the leper, can raise the dead, and can also 
forgive sins and save the soul. I ask for no other evidence 
of the fact. : ' 

On to Jerusalem. 

We rode away from Eamleh, again passing the lepers, 
their piteous cries sounding in our ears long after we left 
them behind us, and it was a long time before we could fully 
shake off the impression made upon our minds by these mis- 
erable unfortunates. Soon after leaving the village, our road 
leads us through a burial place. It lies open and unprotect- 
ed, without fence or wall, to keep out the flocks. By the 
way-side we see, occasionally, newly-made graves, and the sol- 
itary mourners are to be seen and heard, sitting on the tombs, 
mourning and wailing over the graves of departed friends. 
From this point, looking away to the left of the road, is to be 
seen the modern Arab village of Jimza, probably correspond- 
ing to the ancient Gimzo, taken from the Israelites by the 
Philistines. 2 Chron. 28: 18. 

About five miles from Kamleh, we pass a Mohammedan 
village, called El-Kubab, with a population of about four 
hundred. The houses are mean and poorly built, the materi- 
al used being mostly mud. The village stands on a hill, 
bounding the plain of Ajalon on the west, 

Joshua's Victory over the Five Kings. 

Before descending the hill, we stop and take a view of 
the valley of Ajalon, where the five kings of the Amorites 



JOSHUA'S VICTOEY. 227 

fell before tlie power of Joshua's conquering hosts, and where 
the sun and moon stood still until the victory was complete. 
From this point, far up on the hills of Judea, are to be seen 
the two Beth-horons (the upper and the nether), two places 
of great importance in Bible history. They marked the 
boundary line between the tribes of Benjamin and Juclah. 
We find these places frequently referred to in the Bible, but 
they are noted more on account of the great battle fought 
and the victory won by Joshua over the enemies of the Isra- 
elites. It was on the upper Beth-horan that Joshua stood, 
when he used these remarkable words: "Sun, stand thou 
still on Gibeon; and thou, moon, in the valley of Ajalon." 
Josh. 10: 12. 

Dean Stanley, in his excellent work entitled, " Sinai and 
Palestine," gives such a graphic description of the scene that 
was here enacted, and it is so admirably written, that we give 
it to our readers: 

"On achieving the victory of Ai, the first march of the 
conquering army, so far as we can gather it from the narra- 
tion, was straight to the holy mountains of Ebal and Gerizim. 
But the seat of the nation was still at the scene of its first en- 
trance, deep down in the Jordan Valley at Gilgal. There 
J oshua received the two embassies from the Gibeonites ; first, 
that which entrapped him into the hasty league, and next, 
that which summoned him to their defense. This summons 
was as urgent as words can describe. It was a struggle of 
life and death for which his aid was demanded, not only for 
Gibeon, but for the Israelites. They had hitherto only en- 
countered the outskirts of the Canaanitish tribes. Now they 
were to meet the whole force of the hills of Southern Pales- 
tine. The 'King of Jerusalem, the King of Hebron, the 
King of Jarmuth, the King of Lachish, the King of Eglon,' 
— two of them rulers of the chief cities of the whole coun- 



/ 



228 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

t ry — 'gathered themselves together and went up, they and all 
their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon. And the men of 
Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, Slack 
not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly and 
save us, and help us; for all the kings of the Amorites that 
dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.' 

"Not a moment was to be lost. As in the battle of Mar- 
athon, everything depended on the suddenness of the blow 
which should break in pieces the hostile confederation. On 
the former occasion of Joshua's visit to Gibeon, it had been 
a three days' journey from Gilgal, as according to the slow 
pace of eastern armies and caravans it might well be. But 
now, by a forced march, 'Joshua came unto them suddenly, 
and 'went up from Gilgal all night.' When the sun rose be- 
hind him, he was already in the open ground at the foot of 
the heights of Gibeon, where the kings were encamped. As 
often before and after, so now, 'not a man could stand before' 
the awe and the panic of the sudden sound of that terrible 
shout, the sudden appearance of that undaunted host, who 
came with the assurance 'not to fear, nor to be dismayed, but 
to be strong and of a good courage, for the Lord had deliv- 
ered their enemies into their hands.' The Canaanites fled 
down the western pass, and 'the Lord discomfitted them be- 
fore Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, 
and chased them along the way that goeth up to Beth-horon.' 
This was the first stage of the flight in the long ascent which 
has been indicated from Gibeon towards Beth-horon the Up- 
per. 'And it came to pass as they fled before Israel, and 
were in the going down of Beth-horon, that the Lord cast 
great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah.' . This 
was the second stage of the night. The fugitives had out- 
stripped the pursuers; they had crossed the high ridge of 
Beth-horon the Upper; they were in full flight down the de- 



JOSHUA'S VICTOEY. ^ 

scent of Beth-boron the Nether; when, as afterwards in the 
fight of Barak against Sisera, one of the fearful tempests 
which from time to time sweep over the hills of Palestine, 
burst upon the disordered army, and 'they were more which 
died with hail-stones, than they whom the children of Israel 
slew with the sword.' 

"It is at this point that the Book of Joshua presents us 
with that sublime picture, which, however variously it always 
has been, and, perhaps, always will be interpreted, we may 
here take, as we find it there expressed. On the summit of 
the pass, where is now the hamlet of Upper Beth-horon, 
looking far down the deep descent of all the westward val- 
leys, with the broad, green vale of Ajalon unfolding in the 
distance into the open plain, with the yet wider expanse of 
the Mediterranean Sea beyond— stood the Israelite chief. 
Below him was rushing down in wild confusion the Amorite 
host. Around him were 'all his people of war and all his 
mighty men of valor.' Behind him were the hills which hid 
Gibeon— the now rescued Gibeon— from his sight. But the 
sun stood high above those hills,— 'in the midst of heaven;' 
for the day had now far advanced since he had emerged from 
his night march through the passes of Ai; and in front, over 
the western vale of Ajalon, was the faint fig are of the cres- 
cent moon visible above the haihstorm, which was fast driv- 
ing up from the sea in the valleys below. Was the enemy 
to escape in safety, or was the speed with which J oshua had 
'come up quickly and saved and helped' his defenseless allies, 
to be still rewarded before the close of that day by a signal 
and decisive victory? 

"Doubtless, with outstretched hand and spear, 'the hand 
that he drew not back when he stretched out the spear, until 
he had utterly destroyed the inhabitants of Ai,' then spake 
Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered the 



230 



LETTERS FBOM BIBLE LANDS. 



Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the 
sight of Israel : 'Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou, 
moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and 
the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves 
upon their enemies.' 

"So ended the second stage of the night. The third is 
less distinct, from a variation in the text of the narrative. 
But following what seems the most probable reading, the 
pursuit still continued, 'and the Lord smote them to Azekah, 
and unto Makkedah, and these five kings fled and hid them- 
selves in a cave at Makkedah.' But Joshua halted not when 
he was told the same speed was still required, — the victory 
was not yet won. 'Koll great stones,' he said, 'upon the 
mouth of the cave and set men by it for to keep them ; and 
stay ye not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite the 
hindmost of them. Suffer them not to enter into their cities; 
for the Lord hath delivered them into your hand.' We know 
not precisely the position of Makkedah, but it must have 
been probably at the point where the mountains sink into 
the plain, that this last struggle took place; and thither, at 
last, to the camp at Makkedah, 'all the people of Israel re- 
turned in peace; none moved his tongue against any of the 
people of Israel.' There was enacted, as it would seem, the 
last act of the eventful day; the five kings were brought out 
and slain, and hanged on five trees until the evening, when, 
at last, that memorable sun went down. 'It came to pass at 
the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua command- 
ed, and they took them down off the trees and cast them into 
the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in 
the cave's mouth. ***** 
And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the' 
edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed; 
them and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain.' 



joshua's victoky. 



231 



And then followed the rapid succession of victory and ex- 
termination, which swept the whole of Southern Palestine in- 
to the hands of Israel. The possession of every place, sacred 
for them, and for all future ages, from the plain of Esdrae- 
lon to the southern desert, — Shechem, Shiloh, Gibeon, Beth- 
lehem, Hebron — was, with one exception of Jerusalem, in- 
volved in the issue of that conflict. 'And all these kings and 
their land did Joshua take at one time, because the Lord 
God of Israel fought for Israel. And Joshua returned, and 
all Israel with him, unto the camp at Gilgal.' " 

If our readers will take the pains to read carefully the 
lOfch chapter of Joshua in connection with the above admir- 
ably written description, they will get a good idea of this 
most important battle of sacred history. 

As we rode across the plain of Ajalon, we naturally 
thought of the great conflict that was waged here, and of the 
wonderful powers of endurance displayed by the children of 
Israel on this memorable day. From the time they began 
their march from Gilgal, until the victory was finally won at 
Makkedah, they marched not far from sixty miles, and dur- 
ing a part of the time they were engaged in a hand to hand 
conflict with the enemy. The best armies of the world to- 
day, could not endure such contiuuecl forced marching and 
fighting, but these men had marched and wandered for many 
years in the wilderness, on their way from Egypt to Pales- 
tine. They had, by this special training, become inured to 
hardships and privation, and so were prepared for the con- 
quest of the land of their fathers; a country to which they 
had a just claim by right of purchase, and by the right of 
priority of possession. We sometimes hear the conquest of 
Palestine by the Israelites sharply criticised by infidels, but 
in these days of advanced civilization, their right to the land 
would never be questioned by the highest courts. Abraham 



232 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



purchased and paid for a parcel of the land, and the rest he 
took peaceable possession of, by the right of discovery, and 
the Israelites were simply asserting their claims to the right 
of inheritance,-^ right recognized as inviolable by all the 
nations of the earth. Jacob also purchased a piece of land 
from the prince of Shechem, for which he paid a hundred 

pieces of money. 

We crossed over Ajalon as the sun was sinking m the 
western horizon, passing on the eastern side the village of 
Latrun. Here tradition locates the home of the penitent 
thief. In about three miles from Latrun we reach Bab-el- 
Wady, which signifies the entrance (or door) to the valley. 
It lies' directly at the foot of the mountains of Judea, and 
here we stop to rest and to feed our horses. We will finish 
our journey to Jerusalem in our next letter. 



LETTER VI. 



i Over the Mountains to Jerusalem. 

E had now traveled about twenty-two miles since start- 
ing from Jaffa in the morning, and we had yet before 
s ^f^ > us some eighteen to twenty miles of rough mountain 
road, before we could reach Jerusalem and rest for the night. 
We spent a short time resting by the wayside, and looking 
around Bab-el- Wady. Like nearly all the villages to be seen 
here, it is poorly and meanly built. A kind of an inn is kept 
here by a Jew; but as the lower part of the house is used as 
a stable, it did not present a very inviting appearance. 

Many travelers pitch their tents at this place, remain 
over night and ride to Jerusalem the next day, thus taking 
two days for the journey from Jaffa to the Holy City. But, 
as there is little of interest to be seen in the barren mount- 
ains and the desolate wilderness of Judea, we preferred to 
ride through in one day and part of the night, and so gain a 
day to be spent in Jerusalem, where there are so many things 
to interest the visitor. 

Being refreshed by our rest, we determined to try walk- 
ing for a change. So we started up the valley road, which 
led us directly into Judea' s mountains. For a short distance 
the road ascends gradually between two spurs of hills, but, 
walking a mile, the ascent becomes steeper, and the scenery 
more rugged and barren. Among the rocks grow wild flow- 
ers in great profusion, and a kind of low brush or furze is 
also to be seen. A few olive trees are growing on the hill- 
side; but, for the most part, the trees are small and stunted. 
Farther up, the valley becomes narrower, more winding and 

30 




234 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

much steeper. On every side rises hill upon hill, barren, 
rugged and desolate. A sense of loneliness and desolation 
came over us, and we felt that, indeed, we were in a wilder- 
ness. . 

Suddenly, as we trudged our way onward and upward, 
the sky became overcast with dark clouds; darkness began to 
settle down over hill and valley, and we were treated to one 
of those sudden changes of weather so common in this coun- 
try. The rain began to fall, and we took shelter under the 
protecting branches of an olive tree; but our leafy roof soon 
began to leak, and, by the time the shower was over, we were 
all quite damp. To add to our general discomfort, the air 
turned quite chilly; however, by walking, we kept warm. 
Two of our party, Mr. Bowes and Mr. Bruce, had outwalked 
us and were lost to sight. After walking several miles, we 
heard the rumbling of our wagons far down the mountain 
side. It was a welcome sound, for wife was pretty well tir- 
ed out by the long walk, and, in fact, we were all glad again • 
to find a seat in our wagon. 

We drove on, up the mountain, and, as the shades of 
evening began to gather and obscure objects by which we 
were surrounded, looking ahead, we saw a bright light issu- 
ing, seemingly, from beneath the rocks that lined the road to 
the left. Upon coming nearer to the light, we discovered 
our missing companions. They had found a large, cave-like 
opening in the rocks, where they had taken shelter from the 
recent shower of rain. With some sticks and brush which 
they gathered, a fire had been kindled, and they were enjoy- 
ing its genial warmth as we drove up. We shall not soon 
forget the weird and ghost-like appearance they had, stand- 
ing in the light of the fire, when we first caught sight of 
them. 



ABOXT GOSCH AND KIEJATH-JEAKIM. 235 

From the top of the first mountain of Judea, it is said, 
a fine view is to be had of the sea, Jaffa, Eamleh end the 
plain of Sharon ; but, to us, only the dark shades of the deep 
valley through which we had passed, were visible. At the 
top of the mountain is a large olive grove, and here a Greek 
caravan had stopped for the night. Their camp fires were 
gleaming through the gathering darkness, as we passed by, 
and the shouts of the camel and donkey drivers could be 
heard in all directions, interspersed with the not very music- 
al note of the donkeys. 

Three miles of further toiling, over a rough, rocky road, 
brought us to the village of Abou Gosch, named after a rob- 
ber. He, with a band of his relatives, was a terror to all 
travelers who passed this way. It is said, they, at one time, 
captured a company of Franciscan monks, and cruelly and 
barbarously stifled them to death in a heated oven. Some 
years ago, they were seized and transported, and, since then, 
the road has been comparatively safe. The most important 
fact about this village is, that it marks the site of the ancient 
city of Kirjath-jearim, or the City of the Wood. Kobinson, 
in his researches in the Holy Land, discovered the identity 
of the place, and settled, beyond doubt, that here stood the 
ancient City of the Wood. 

Kirjath-jearim holds an important place in Bible histo- 
ry. It was on the northern boundary of Judah, and on the 
southern boundary of Benjamin. Josh. 15: 9, and 18: 14, 15. 
Urijah, the prophet, was born here. Jer. 26: 20. But the 
principal event connected with this place, recorded in the 
Scriptures, is the fact that here the Ark of the Covenant was 
kept for twenfy years. The Ark of the Lord had fallen into 
the hands of the Philistines, and they, alarmed at the visita- 
tion of the Lord, had sent it away to Beth-shemesh. "And 
the men of Kirjath-jearim came, and fetched up the Ark of 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS, 

the Lord, and brought it into the house of Abinadab, in the 
hill, and sanctified Eleazar, his son, to keep the Ark of the 
Lord." And it came to pass, while the Ark abode m Kir- 
jath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: 
and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord." 1 Sam. 
7-12 And now King David appears on the scene; for he 
"gathered all Israel together, from Shihor, of Egypt, even un- 
to the entering of Hemath, to bring the Ark of God from 
Kirjath-jearim." 1 Chron. 13: 5. 

They came to the quiet mountain village and took the 
Ark away to bring it to Jerusalem. The day was one of 
great rejoicing in all Israel, and, as they moved away with 
their great prize, "David and all Israel played betore God 
with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and 
with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and 
with trumpets." 1 Chron. 13: 8. What a procession that 
must have been! How they played and sang before the Lord 
in the fullness of their- hearts, and in their great 3 oy that 
they had again recovered the Ark, and that the presence of 
the Lord God of Israel would again be with them. We can 
well imagine that, as they marched triumphantly towards Je- 
rusalem, singing and playing and making melody unto the 
Lord of hosts, in joyous strains, the grand words of David, 
in the 132nd Psalm, might have been heard: 

"Lo, we heard of it at Ephrata; 
We found it in the fields of the wood;* 
We will go into his tabernacles, 
We will worship at his footstool. 
Arise, Lord, into thy rest; • 
Thou and the ark of thy strength; 
Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness, 
And let thy saints shout for joy." 



*Kirjath-jearim, or City of the Wood. 



BAD KOADS, ETC. 237 

Who can read this matchless poetry without feeling some- 
thing of joy at the great occasion which inspired it ? 

The modern village is small and contains nothing of spe- 
cial interest. The ruins of a Catholic church are to be seen, 
but, as it was now quite dark, we did not visit them. It had 
grown quite cold; the sky was blackened by heavy masses of 
dark, foreboding clouds, and, occasionally, a shower of rain 
came doAvn. The road, if it can be called by that name, was 
in a fearful condition. In many places it was washed out 
gullies, into which the wheels would drop with a thud. Sev- 
eral times it seemed that the wagon would be thrown over. 
In order to keep warm, we walked a good part of the distance 
from Kirjath-jearim to Jerusalem. This part of our journey 
was anything but pleasant, but we pressed bravely on, over 
the mountains and hills, in the darkness of night. 

We stop a few minutes at an Arab coffee-house, where 
drivers and dragomen refresh themselves. Near this place 
is a spring, named Ain-Dilb, around which grow the Kary- 
oob trees. They bear a fruit, contained in a pod, similar to 
our beans. It was with the husks of this fruit that the prod- 
igal son would have fain satisfied his hunger. We climb an- 
other hill, and, just as we reach the top, the clouds break 
away, and the moon comes out, flooding hill and valley with 
a soft, mellow light, and we are all made glad for the light in 
in the darkness. It is now nearly ten o'clock, and we have 
yet about six miles of weary trudging before we can rest for 
the night. We are passing along the road over which the 
Ark was carried up to Mount Zion, and it was somewhere on 
this same road that our Savior joined the two disciples on 
their way to Emmaus. 

The last four miles of our ride are up hill, for J erusa- 
lem is surrounded by mountains. Suddenly, in front of us, 
looms a dark object, and we can distinguish the dim outlines 



238 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

of a high wall, and we begin to feel that the first day of our 
travel in Palestine is drawing to a close. In a few minntes, 
our wagons halt at a high tower in the wall. We are soon on 
the ground and entering the Jaffa gate. We are in Jerusa- 
lem. Travelers have written many pages describing their 
emotions upon first viewing and entering this city of cities. 
Shivering with cold and the dampness of our clothing, we 
do not feel in a mood to meditate. We hurry to our hotel, 
where a cold reception awaits us. There is no fire in the 
house, and at midnight Ave go shivering to our beds, in rooms 
with stone floors, that have something of the appearance of 
prison cells. The distance from Jaffa to J erusalem is vari- 
ously estimated at from thirty-eight to forty-two miles; per- 
haps, if we place it at forty miles, we shall not be far from 
the true distance. It was a long ride for our first day in 
Palestine, and we were exceedingly glad and thankful when 
it was finished. 

Jerusalem. 

Notwithstanding our rather unpleasant surroundings and 
the novelty of the situation, being tired and weary, we enjoy- 
ed a good, refreshing sleep, and were up early in the morn- 
ing, fully rested, and ready and anxious to begin our day's 
work of sight-seeing. Our hotel (the Mediterranean) stands 
on Mount Zion, only a few rods distant from the Jaffa gate. 
It is kept by a German, and is said to be the best in Jerusa- 
lem. In fact, it is the only one worthy the name of hotel in 
the city. The table was amply supplied with well cooked 
food and excellent fruit, and we fared much better than we 
had thought was possible when we first entered the house. 

Here we met a number of Americans and Englishmen, 
some of whom afterwards joined us in our long ride through 
Palestine. The American Consul, Mr. Merrill, of Massachu- 
setts, and his excellent lady, have their home at this hotel. 



hezekiah's pool. 



239 



"We found them both very pleasant and agreeable people. 
We are especially indebted to them for their kind considera- 
tion and the assistance rendered us. They did all in their 
power to make our stay in Jerusalem a pleasant one. If our 
Government were always as well and as faithfully represent- 
ed abroad as it is by Mr. Merrill in Palestine, we should hear 
no complaints from travelers. 




hezekiah's pool. 

From the windows of our hotel, we can look down into 
the placid waters of Hezekiah's pool, a large reservoir, well 
filled with rain-water, looking much like a small, quiet lake 
within the walls of the city. This pool was built by King 
Hezekiah, and it still bears his name. We shall have some- 
thing more to say of it in a future letter. But, before giving 
an account of our "walks about Zion," and describing " the 



240 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

towers thereof, her bulwarks and her palaces," we shall give 
something of her history, and then describe her holy places 
in the order that we visited them. 

Historical. 

David, in extolling the excellence of the city of God, 
said, "Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is 
mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great 
King" (Ps. 48: 1), and the sweet Singer of Israel never tir- 
ed of singing psalms and making melodies in honor of the 
"mountain of his holiness." In all the history of the world, 
no place occupies so prominent a position as does the city of 
Jerusalem. Not only the Christian world, but Mohamme- 
dans and pagans alike regard it with respect and deep vener- 

^^But it is to the Christian that it has an especial and all- 
absorbing interest. Around it cluster the most sacred and 
hallowed associations known to the Christian world. Its 
beautiful mountains and winding valleys each have connect- 
ed with them some incident in Bible history. Here the holy 
men of old, prophets, priests and kings, lived and died. 
Here David sang in the inspired strains that have come down 
to us as the grandest poetry that the world has ever known. 
Here the wise king, Solomon, sat in judgment and imperial 
glory, causing even the splendor-loving queen of the East to 
exclaim, " Behold, the half was not told me." 

And here the Son of God walked among men; here, in 
the dark shade of Gethsemane, he suffered the most extreme 
agony known to the human soul. Here he was crowned with 
thorns, mocked and scorned by the rabble of a great city, 
and here he died, upon Calvary's rugged hill, that we might 
live. Ah, sacred ground, bedewed by the tears, and sancti- 
fied by the blood of our dear Master! No wonder the heart 



HISTORICAL. 241 

throbs quicker, and the tears come unbidden to the eye, as 
we meditate upon thy history I 

The city of Jerusalem has a strong natural position. 
It is almost entirely surrounded by mountains and valleys, 
out of which it rises like a citadel, thus forming a strong- 
mountain fortress. Except on the north-west, the ascent is 
perpetual; and it is, in every sense of the word, a mountain 
city. The Psalmist calls it "the mountain throne," "the 
mountain sanctuary." On the east, it is separated from the 
Mount of Olives by the Valley of Jehoshaphat; on the west 
and south is found the Valley of Hinnom, running south 
and east and forming a junction with the Valley of Jehosha- 
phat. On the north-east is the Valley of Kidron. These 
valleys enclose a plateau, or table-land; on the southern por- 
tion of this plateau Jerusalem stands, the south-east walls 
overlooking both the Valley of Hinnom and of Jehoshaphat. 

The city is built on two mountain ridges, Mount Moriah 
and Mount Zion. These ridges are divided by a deep, natur- 
al depression, known as the Tyropean Valley (Cheesemon- 
gers' Valley). The present wall of the city crosses this val- 
ley at its mouth and encloses parts of both mountain ranges. 
On the summit of the western range, Mount Zion, was built 
the tower of David; whilst on the eastern ridge, Mount Mo- 
riah, stood Solomon's temple. 

Owing to the great natural strength of its position, and 
its strong walls, the city was enabled to hold out against and 
repulse many of the attacks of its enemies. It sustained 
many long-continued and terrible sieges, and, perhaps, no 
city in the world has suffered so much at the hands of its en- 
emies as has Jerusalem. Its history reads like a romance. 
It is first mentioned in the Bible, under the name of Salem, 
in Gen. 14: 18, as the home of Melchizedek, the priest of the 
Most High God. Some authors have expressed doubts as to 

31 



242 LETTEES FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

the identity of the two places, but the evidence seems to be 
in favor of the statement that J erusalem and the ancient Sa- 
lem are the same. 

David uses the word Salem in connection with Jerusa- 
lem. " In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling- 
place in Zion." Dr. Thompson, who spent many years in 
Palestine, and gave this question much study, is of this opin- ( 
ion— an opinion which is sustained by facts and a course of 
reasoning that cannot be controverted. We again find the 
place referred to, in Joshua 18: 28, under the name Jebus; 
and here the divine record leaves no doubt in the matter, for 
it adds, " which is Jerusalem." By taking these two names 
together— Jebus-Salem— and changing the third letter of the 
first name from b to r, and dropping the final s, we have the 
correct spelling of the name, Jeru-salem. A change of this 
kind might easily have been made, as the many changes that 
have been made, from time to time, in spelling proper names, 
go to show. Dean Stanley suggests this variation in spell- 
ing, but, referring the matter to a Hebrew scholar, Kev. Mr. 
Lentz, he gives it as his opinion that the original does not 
admit of this change. 

Notwithstanding the many efforts of the Benjamites to 
take the city from their enemies, the Jebusites, they were 
obliged to leave the stronghold of Mount Zion in their hands, 
whilst they contented themselves with occupying the hills 
and valleys lying round about. It was not, however, until 
David had reigned seven years in Hebron that he, with his 
warriors, went up against the Jebusites. "And the king and 
his men went to Jerusalem, unto the Jebusites, the inhabit- 
ants of the land; which spake unto David, saying, Except 
thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come 
in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither. Neverthe- 
less, David took the stronghold of Zion: the same is the city 



HISTORICAL. 



243 



of David." 2 Sam. 5: 6, 7. This important event took place 
in the year 1048 B. C. 

David built and strengthened the city and greatly en- 
larged its borders. He brought the Ark of the Lord fi-om 
Kirjath-jearim to Mount Zion, where it remained until aft- 
er the building of the temple, by Solomon, on Mount Mori- 
ah, when it was removed to the place prepared for it, accord- 
ing to the instruction of the Most High. Jerusalem now be- 
came the capital of the Jewish nation and the civil and re- 
ligious center of Israel. After the death of David (who 
reigned thirty-three years over Israel in Jerusalem), Solo- 
mon built the temple on Mount Moriah, where Abraham's 
faith was fully tested when he went to offer his son Isaac, 
and where, before Abraham's time, Melchizedek also offered 
sacrifices to the Lord of heaven and of earth. When the 
temple was completed, in all of its great magnificence and 
splendor, the Ark was transferred to it from Mount Zion, 
where it had been placed by David. 

Under the glorious reign of the wise king, Jerusalem at- 
tained the zenith of her glory and power. Solomon adorned 
the city with many splendid buildings, and fortified it with 
strong walls and towers, and the fame of his wisdom, his 
riches and his power went abroad throughout all the land. 
A view of the city, at that time, from the Mount of Olives, 
must have afforded a magnificent sight. The temple, the 
palaces and the towers of the city had been built in a splen- 
dor unrivalled in the previous history of the world, and to 
have stood on the heights of Olivet and overlooked all of this 
grandeur and more than regal splendor, must have been, in- 
deed, a great privilege. 

After Solomon's death, and under the reign of his son, 
Rehoboam, in the year 970 B. C, seventy-eight years after 
David had captured the city from the Jebusites, it was be- 



244 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

sieged, taken and plundered by Shishak, king of Egypt. 
The temple and palace were despoiled of many of their gold- 
en ornaments. This was the beginning of a long struggle, 
of losses and of much suffering for the city. The constant 
warfare waged between the kingdoms of Judah and of Isra- 
el involved the city in much trouble. Owing to the gross 
idolatry into which the people fell, they were often given 
over by the Lord into the hands of their enemies. 

About the year 870 B. C, under the reign of King Jeho- 
ram, Jerusalem fell into the hands of the Philistines and 
Arabians, and the temple was again plundered of its golden 
vessels. 2 Chron. 21: 17. Sixty years later, the king of Is- 
rael, Jehoash, besieged the place. He made a wide breach 
in the wall of Jerusalem and entered the city, plundering the 
temple and the palaces of all the gold he could find. 2 Kings 
14: 13, 14. Under Uzziah's righteous reign, the prosperity 
of Jerusalem was again partially re-established. The walls 
were strengthened, new towers built, and the means of de- 
fense were much improved by the planting of engines on the 
battlements for throwing huge stones and other projectiles. 
2 Chron. 26: 1-16. During the reign of Uzziah, when his 
heart was lifted up, he went into the temple to burn incense, 
and was stricken with leprosy. 

Josephus, in recording this event, says: "In the mean- 
time, a great earthquake shook the ground, and a rent was 
made in the temple, and the bright rays of the sun shone 
through it, and fell upon the king's face, insomuch that the 
leprosy seized upon him immediately; and before the city, at 
a place called Eroge, half the mountain broke off from the 
rest, on the west, and rolled itself four furlongs, and stood 
still at the east mountain, till the roads, as well as the king's 
garden, were spoiled by the obstruction."— Antiquities of the 
Jews, Chap. 10. 



HISTORICAL. 



245 



No account of this earthquake is given in the Bible, but 
there seems to be an undoubted reference to it by the proph- 
et Zechariah, chap. 14; 5, where he says: "Yea, ye shall flee, 
like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uz- 
ziah, king of Judah." It would seem that there is consider- 
able resemblance between the prophetical and historical 
earthquakes. The 26th chapter of 2nd Chronicles contains 
a full account of Uzziah's arrogance and subsequent punish- 
ment; and those of our readers who have access to the works 
of Josephus will find it quite interesting to read what he has 
to say, in connection with the Bible account of this interest- 
ing incident. 

From this account of Josephus, we see that the city was 
not only troubled on every side by her enemies, but that she 
was shaken by a terrible .earthquake. In the year 728 B. C, 
Hezekiah began to reign in Jerusalem. "And he did that 
which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all 
that David his father had done." 2 Chron. 29: 2. One of his 
first acts was again to open the house of the Lord, and fully 
to restore again the Jewish religion and the worship of the 
God of David, his father. To him belongs the great credit 
of having supplied Jerusalem with an abundance of water. 
The city stands on a solid, chalky bed of limestone, which 
contains but little water. The supply was obtained from cis- 
terns and large reservoirs. 

On the north-west side of Mount Zion ivas the spring or 
fountain of Gihon. By means of a tunnel, or conduit, laid 
under the ground, the water of this fountain was conveyed 
to the highest part of the city. This spring being inade- 
quate for the supply of the whole city, the king built many 
cisterns and reservoirs for the storage of rain-water, one of 
which bears his name to this day. It was during the reign 
of Hezekiah that Sennacherib, the Assyrian, besieged Jeru- 



24:6 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



salem. An account of this siege, and how the Lord smote 
the Assyrians, may be found in the 32nd chapter of 2nd 
Chronicles. This incident gave Byron the text for a beauti- 
ful and sublime piece of poetry. We give a few stanzas of 
the poem: 

"The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold, 
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and goid 
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea, 
When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee, 
Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green, 
That host with their banners at sunset were seen; 
Like the leaves of the forest when autumn hath blown, 
That host on the morrow lay withered and strown. 
For the angel of 'death spread his wings on the blast, 
And breathed on the face of the foe as he passed; 
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, 
And their hearts but once heaved, and forever grew still!" 

After the death of Hezeldah, the city again relapsed in- 
to idolatry, and was given over to its enemies. The king of 
Egypt, Pharaoh Necho, dethroned Jehoahaz and made the 
city tributary to himself. In the year 599-98 B. 0., the city 
suffered almost entire destruction. Nebuchadnezzar, king of 
Babylon, besieged and captured it and burned the temple, 
broke down the walls and carried ten thousand of the chief 
citizens into captivity. He also took away all the vessels of 
gold and silver and all the treasures of the house of God. 

After undergoing this terrible siege, which continued 
one year, five months and seven days, the city was reduced 
to that abject state so beautifully and graphically described 
by the prophet Jeremiah in the second chapter of his book 
of Lamentations. 

"From this ovewhelming catastrophe, however, J erusa- 
lem was permitted to recover, to some extent, when the Jews 
returned from captivity, but it was not till the time of Nehe- 



HISTORICAL. 



247 



miah, the favored cupbearer of the Persian king, Artaxerxes 
Longimanus, that the city was actually rebuilt. Nehemiah 
refortified the city, retaining the foundations of the former 
walls, although these now enclosed a far larger space than 
was necessary for the reduced population. Nehemiah' s de- 
scription, therefore, presents to us an accurate picture of the 
ancient city before the captivity." 

The temple was rebuilt in the years 534-15 B. C, by per- 
mission of Cyrus, and the walls of the city were rebuilt and 
fortified by Nehemiah 444 B. C. The Samaritans and mix- 
ed races occupying the north of Palestine, which was former- 
ly the territory of the ten tribes of Israel, opposed the reviv- 
ing prosperity of the Jews, and it was with great difficulty 
that the work was carried to completion. 

The next event recorded in the history of Jerusalem, is 
the peaceable opening of its gates to the conqueror of the 
then known world, Alexander the Great. This occurred in 
the year 333 B. C. In 168 of the same era, it again became 
the theatre of bloodshed and carnage. Antiochus plundered 
and desecrated the temple and destroyed the city, slaying 
many of its inhabitants. His tyranny became so unendurable 
that two years later, the people revolted, and under the Mac- 
cabean princes, gained their independence. Under these 
rulers the city enjoyed a season of prosperity, and it was 
strengthened and fortified. 

Again the city was besieged, by a descendant of Antio- 
chus, and the Jews were compelled by hunger to surrender, 
and the walls of Zion were again thrown down. This occur- 
red in 164 B. C. Another siege was sustained in 134 by John 
Hyrcanus, and the city was compelled to surrender only by 
famine. A few years later, Pompey, the Eoman general, be- 
sieged the city and took it. It is said that 12,000 Jews fell 
when the final attack was made on the temple. 



248 LETTEES FEOM BIBLE LANDS. 

The place now came under the Roman government, and 
in the year 37 B. C, Herod the Great became king by order 
of the Roman Senate. Herod embellished and fortified the 
city, and rebuilt the temple with great magnificence. He ex- 
tended the walls of the city, built palaces and added much 
to the beauty and splendor of the place. 

"At this period Jerusalem, with its numerous palaces 
and handsome edifices, the sumptuous temple with its colon- 
nades, and the lofty city walls with their bastions, must have 
presented a very striking appearance The wall of the old 
town had sixty towers, and that of the small suburb to the 
north of it, fourteen; but the populous city must have extend- 
ed much farther to the north, and Ave must picture to our- 
selves, in this direction, numerous villas standing in gardens. 
These villas were probably very handsome buildings. 

"Such was the character of the city in the time of our 
Lord, but in the interior, the streets, though paved, were 
somewhat narrow and crooked. The population must have 
been very crowded, especially, as we learn from the New 
Testament, on the occasion of festivals. The Roman govern- 
or is said, on one occasion, to have caused the paschal lambs 
to be counted, and to have found that they amounted to the 
vast number of two hundred and seventy thousand; whence 
we may infer that the number of partakers was not ]ess than 
two million seven hundred thousand." 

These figures are from Josephus, and whilst they may 
be somewhat exaggerated, yet they go to show what an im- 
mense throng of people crowded into the city during the ob- 
servance of ths feast of the passover. It was during the 
reign of Herod that our Savior was born at Bethlehem of J u- 
dea, six miles from Jerusalem; and it is to the fact that the 
Son of God so often walked through the streets of the city, 
and taught in its synagogues, that it has so much of interest 



i 



HISTORY OF JERUSALEM. 



249 



to the Christian. Whilst the world stands, it will never be 
forgotten that here the "Word was made flesh and dwelt 
among men," and that here the Godman suffered and died 
for the sins of the whole world. 

After the death of our Lord, the Jews were severely op- 
pressed by their Eoman master, and finally they revolted, de- 
termined, if possible, to throw off the galling yoke of bond- 
age. A frightful war ensued, and finally, in the year A. D. 
71, the city was carried by storm, by Titus, the Eoman gen- 
eral. The temple was burned, the walls of the city destroy- 
ed and the people put to the edge of the sword. And so Je- 
rusalem was utterly cast down, and the words that fell from 
the lips of the Messiah were literally fulfilled: "Verily, I say 
unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another, 
that shall not be thrown down" — Matt. 24: 2 -for not even a 
stone of the foundation was left standing. The Eoman sol- 
diers, in their greed and rapacity, dug up the underground 
walls in their search for gold that had melted and found its 
way down among the stones forming the foundation of the 
temple. 

In reading the history of Jerusalem, one is constantly 
reminded of the voices of prophecy, which have so pathet- 
ically and touchingly mourned over Zion. "How doth the 
city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become 
a widow! She that was great among the nations, and prin- 
cess among the provinces, how is she become tributary! 
She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her 
cheeks," Lam. 1: 1, 2, and the words of the Master more pa- 
thetic and mournful still: "O, Jerusalem! Jerusalem! thou 
that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent un- 
to thee, how often would I have gathered thy children to- 
gether, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her 

32 



250 



LETTEES FEOM BIBLE LANDS. 



wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto 
you desolate." 

In the year A. I). 132, the city was captured by Bar 
Cochba, who claimed to be the Jewish Messiah, and many 
Jews followed him. Three years later it was stormed by 
the Bomans; the pretender was slain, and Jerusalem was 
converted into a heathen colony, under the name Aelia Cap- 
it olina by the Boman emperor Hadrian. After this period, 
for several centuries the history of the city was buried in ob- 
scurity. The Jews were even prohibited" by law from enter- 
ing the place. In the fourth century, it is said, a temple was 
dedicated to the worship of Jupiter, in which were placed 
statues of Jupiter aud Hadrian. 

About the year A. D. 325, Constantine, Emperor of 
Borne, embraced Christianity, and a new era for the city be- 
gan. The Jews were again permitted to enter the city. 
They made- a feeble effort to rebuild the temple, and once 
more they made an attempt to take up arms against their an- 
cient enemies, the Bomans, and again they were driven out 
of the city and prohibited from entering it. In the year 451, 
an independent Patriarchate for Palestine was established at 
Jerusalem, and pilgrimages now became very frequent. A 
number of churches were built, a hospice for pilgrims, and 
ten or twelve monasteries were built by Justinia. Pope 
Gregory also erected some buildings for the accommodation 
of pilgrims, and at this time began a large trade in relics. 

In the year 614, the city was again subjected to a siege 
and was taken by the Persians, but was soon after again re- 
taken by the Christians. In the year 637, it was captured by 
the Mohammedans under Omar, the successor of Mohammed. 
The city was called by the Arabs El-Kudo (the sanctuary.) 
Iii 969, Jerusalem fell into the hands of the Egyptian Eata- 
mites, a sect of the Moslem faith. In 1077, the Kharezmians 



HISTORY OF JERUSALEM. 



251 



plundered the city. Under the Turkish rule, pilgrims and 
Christians were oppressed and suffered many indignities. 
Money was extorted from them by bands of Turkish robbers. 

Now came the Crusaders, who, on the 15th day of J uly, 
1099, captured the city. They held it for eighty-eight years. 
In 1187, it was taken by the Moslems under Saladin. In 1229 
it was surrendered to Frederick II., of Germany. In 1211 it 
again fell into the hands of the successors of Saladin, since 
which time it has remained a Moslem city. In 1517 it was 
taken by the Osmans. In 1825, the inhabitants of J erusa- 
lem revolted against the Turks on account of the severity of 
the taxation, and it was bombarded. In 1831 Jerusalem sub- 
mitted to the Pasha of Egypt, and in 1840 it again came ful- 
ly under the rule of the Sultan of Turkey. Since then the 
city has remained under the Turkish rule, and has enjoyed 
a period of comparative quiet. Such is a short sketch of 
the history of this remarkable city. It is a wonderful rec- 
ord and is full of sorrow and woe. 




LETTER VII. 



Jaffa Gate— David's Tower -The Streets of the City— 
The Harani JSsh-Sherif. 

||||arly in the morning we were ready and anxious for our 
llll first view of the city of Jerusalem. Our first visit was 
to be to the place of the greatest interest to all travel- 
ers in the city, the Mosque of Omar— a Mohammedan church 
or place of worship, which stands upon the same spot upon 
which Solomon built the great temple. We were accompa- 
nied in our walk by the guide, or dragoman, and an armed 
Turkish soldier, who acted as a kind of escort for the party. 
Each one of the party was provided with a pair of light slip- 
pers, for whoever enters a mosque must take the shoes off 
his feet; as the Moslem holds the interior of his place of 
worship as holy. Indeed, it has only been of late years that 
Christians have been permitted to enter the Mosque at all. 
The greed for money and gain has, however, opened most of 
their holy places to the traveler. A liberal " backsheesh" (a 
gift of money) has a powerful influence in the East, and 
there are but few doors among the Moslems that will not 
open to the magic of its touch. 

Passing out of the court of the hotel, we enter David 
Street, only a short distance from the Jaffa Gate, which we 
entered in the darkness of the night. We shall now go back 
to this gate and describe it, as well as the principal streets 
of the city. This gate is on the west side of the city, near 
the Tower of David. The gate is composed of a massive, 
square, stone tower, projecting from the wall of the city. 
The tower is very strongly built, and is thirty-six feet square 



THE JAFFA GATE, ETC- 255 

and about forty feet in height. The gateway, or entrance, is 
from the north side of the tower, the road from Jaffa running 
parallel with the city walls. After entering into the tower, a 
square turn to the left is made, and the gate into the city is 
passed, so that there are two gates instead of one. The first 
or outer gate is twelve feet wide and sixteen feet high, and 
the inner gate about the same size. It was built in this way 
as a better means of defense against the attacks of enemies. 
The doors are made of heavy timber, six inches thick, cover- 
ed with a thin plating of iron and thickly studded with iron 
bolts. 

Formerly, the gates of the city were promptly closed at 
the going down of the sun and were not again opened until 
morning, so that belated travelers could not gain access to 
the city. Now, however, the gates are open all the night. 
Soldiers keep guard at the gates all the time, but this is rath- 
er to regulate the going in and coming out of the Turkish 
soldiers who garrison the city. Their presence seems, no 
doubt, to keep order among the people who are constantly 
passing in and out, but no one is hindered from going into 
the city at his own pleasure. The Jaffa Gate is the great 
thoroughfare of the city, and through it pass the great ma- 
jority of the people who go in and out of the city. Through 
it pass the caravans of camels and donkeys that do about all 
the carrying trade. One sees a motley group at this gate. 
Pilgrims from all parts of Europe, with their different cos- 
tumes, are here to be seen, eager to enter the holy city and 
visit its holy places. 

From the Jaffa gate, David Street extends nearly in a 
straight line eastward to Mount Moriah and to the principal 
gate of the Haram, as the temple platform is now called. 
Before crossing the Tyropean Yalley, however, it turns sharp- 
ly to the south, and a short distance farther on it turns again 



256 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



to the east. From this until the Haram is reached, it is call- 
ed Temple Street. Soon after leaving the gate, we enter a 
large, open space, used as a kind of market for the sale of 
vegetables, fruits, sweetmeats, etc. The venders of the dif- 
ferent articles were noisily conducting their business. To 
the left is a row of shops, and on the right is the Tower of 
David, called by Josephus the Tower of Hippie as. It stands 
on Mount Zion, the place where David erected a fortress that 
stood as the stronghold of the city of David in after#ages. 
Josephus describes this tower minutely and speaks of the 
massive stones used in its structure. These large stones are 
yet to be seen, many of them measuring ten feet in length. 
The masonry consists of large blocks of cut stone with rough 
surfaces. The upper part of the tower has, no doubt, often 
been rebuilt, but the huge foundation stones are cut and bev- 
eled according to the manner of the Jewish builders, and 
there seems to be no doubt that these immense blocks of 
stone belong to the earliest history of the city, and may have 
been laid by David. Josephus, in describing the destruction 
of Jerusalem, says that Titus did not destroy this tower. 
This being true, McLeod says, " There is not one house stand- 
ing on which we can feel certain that our Lord gazed, unless 
it be the old tower at the Jaffa Gate. From the top of the 
tower a fine view is had of the city and of the hills and 
mountains round about Jerusalem. Our cut gives an excel- 
lent view of the Tower and of the open space used as a mar- 
ket-place. 

Passing down David Street to the east, we pass a few 
shops and then the corn market, as we see by the baskets of 
seed and heaps of grain on all sides. The traffic of Jerusa- 
lem is, however, very limited, as there are no manufactories, 
and but little enterprise is to be seen. In addition to David 
Street, there are only three other streets in all the city that 



THE STKEETS, ETC. 257 

rise to the dignity of bearing names, and these have been 
named by Europeans. They are named, respectively, the Yia 
Dolorosa, Damascus Street and Christian Street. The Yia 
Dolorosa, signifying "the sorrowful way," passes through 
the city from St. Stephen's Gate nearly parallel with David 
Street and about two hundred yards distant from it. This 
street will be described more fully farther on. It was along 
this street that tradition says our Divine Master bore the 
heavy cross from Pilate's juclgment-hall to Mount Calvary; 
hence its name, " the way of sorrow." 

Damascus Street extends across the city from Damascus 
Gate in the north wail to Zion Gate in the southern wall. It 
is the longest street in the city, and for a considerable dis- 
tance it is lined with Turkish bazaars. It crosses David 
Street at right angles and from this point until Zion Gate is 
reached, it bears the name of Zion Street. The Gate of Da- 
vid, or Zion Gate, is on the summit of Mount Zion, This 
was the height held by the Jebusites until it was captured 
by David, who took it by storm, and " David dwelt in the 
fort, and called it the city of David." 2 Sam. 5: 9. The top 
of Mount Zion is the highest point within the limits of the 
city, it being 2,540 feet above the level of the Mediterranean 
Sea. It was on this hill that David built himself a house, 
and prepared a place for the Ark of God. "And David 
prepared a place for the Ark of God, and pitched a tent for 
it." Christian Street extends from David Street to the Yia 
Dolorosa. This street is named from the fact that it is lined 
with bazaars, or shops, kept by Christians, mostly of the 
Greek and Catholic churches. Here one can purchase dry 
goods, clothing, books and many other articles much cheaper 
than one would suppose could be possible, considering the 
fact that they must be transported so far. The stores, or 



258 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



shops, are small and not remarkably clean, but, on the whole, 
much better than the native shops. 

On this street are to ' be found a few Protestant shop- 
keepers, and also some Jews, engaged in the same kind of 
business. The other streets are, in many cases, merely nar- 
row passage ways, very crooked, and, for the most part, ex- 
ceedingly filthy. The streets are paved with round stones, 
varying in size, some being quite small, others quite large. 
Practically, there are no sidewalks. In David Street the 
part next to the walls of the houses is slightly raised and 
may be called a sidewalk. The best way, however, to get 
through the city is to take the middle of the street. Three 
one has plenty of room on either side to escape contact 
with loaded camels and donkeys that are to be met constant- 
ly in the streets. No vehicle of any kind can be seen in 
Jerusalem. The streets are too narrow to admit wagons and 
carriages, and all the carrying is done by the above-named 
animals. Here, as in J affa, we found that every one is ex- 
pected to get out of the way of the caravans. A donkey is 
a most perverse little animal and seldom changes his course 
without strong persuasion, which the driver gives to the 
brute with a heavy club over the head. Even this rough us- 
age is not always successful in inducing the animal to change 
its line of march; the head will be thrown to one side, but 
the body does not swerve an inch from the line. The only 
thing for one to do when meeting a drove of donkeys is to 
speedily get out of their way. 

The day and night before a heavy rain had fallen, the 
narrow streets were wet and the round stone slippery, so that 
walking was very difficult. Jerusalem is no exception to the 
other cities in the East in the matter of dirty streets. They 
are exceedingly filthy here as well as in all parts of the Turk- 
ish dominion which we have visited. The houses in J erusa- 



THE TEMPLE PLATFORM. 259 

lem are built mostly of stone; timber being very scarce, but 
very little , lumber is used in the construction of buildings. 
Houses are one and two stories in height, with flat roofs, in 
the center of many of which there are circular arched domes. 
The streets are very narrow, David Street being only twelve 
feet wide, and the houses being built of stone, gives the city 
a compact and solid appearance. 

The city is divided into four distinct quarters, named ac- 
cording to the population inhabiting each. They are named 
the Mohammedan or Turkish, the Armenian, the Christian 
and the Jewish quarters. David Street divides the city into 
a north and south district. All that part lying south of Da- 
vid Street is divided between the Jews and Armenians, the 
Jews occupying the eastern portion of this district, and the 
Armenians having their abode to the West Zion Street, di- 
viding the two quarters. North of David Street and east of 
Damascus Street is the Turkish quarter, whilst the Christians 
occupy the north-western portion of the city. These bound- 
aries are not to be considered as exclusive, for the population 
mingles to some extent, but in each quarter, as above given, 
the nationalities named predominate. Our walk has now 
brought us to the principal gate of 

The Haram Esli-Slierif or Temple Platform. 

As we approach Mt. Moriah and the site of the ancient 
temple of Solomon, we realize that we are coming to a spot 
full of absorbing and intense interest. Indeed, we may say 
that it is, without doubt, the most interesting place in this 
most interesting city in the world. Christian, J ew and Mo- 
hammedan alike hold this sacred mount in high veneration. 
Whatever of doubt may be thrown upon many of the so-call- 
ed holy places in Jerusalem— and many of them have noth- 
ing more than the merest tradition to establish their claims 

33 



260 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



to their sacred titles — when we approach the summit of 
Mount Moriah, we find a holy place, about the authenticity 
of which there is no doubt. And whilst authors and learned 
men disagree as to other places, here all seem to agree. In 
fact, the Bible plainly indicates the place of sacrifice to have 
been the east or Temple Hill. 

The term Zion was also applied to the Temple Hill, as 
well as to Mount Zion, lying immediately west of the site of 
the temple. The term Mount Moriah is mentioned in 2 
Chron. 3:1: "Then Solomon began to build the house of the 
Lord at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah, where the Lord appear- 
ed unto David his father, in the place that David had pre- 
pared in the threshing-floor of Oman the Jebusite." This 
passage indicates plainly where the temple was built. From 
time almost immemorial, this mountain had been dedicated 
and consecrated to the worship of the Most High God. As 
before stated, here the great priest Melchizedek offered sac- 
rifice to the Lord, and it was probably to this spot that the 
Almighty directed faithful Abraham to take his son Isaac 
and offer him for a burnt-offering. "Take now thy son, 
thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the 
land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering 
upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." Gen. 
22:2. 

Here, also, David erected an altar by the command of 
the Lord, so that the plague that had been brought upon Is- 
rael by his sin might be stayed. " Then David said, This is 
the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt- 
offering for Israel." 1 Chron. 22:1. It was upon this spot, 
so divinely appointed and selected by David, that Solomon 
began the erection of the temple. 

Mount Moriah, at the time Solomon began the building, 
was entirely outside of the city of David, and separated from 



THE TEMPLE PLATFORM. 



261 



it by the Tyropean Yalley. The hill or mountain was a long 
ridge, perhaps a mile in length and not more than a quarter 
of a mile wide. East of the ridge, and separating it from 
the Mount of Olives, was the deep Valley of Jehoshaphat, 
whilst at its southern end it descended abruptly to the Yal- 
ley of Hinnom. It was on the summit of this ridge, near 
the southern end, that the temple was built. The top of the 
mountain being too narrow for the building, Solomon under- 
took the gigantic labor of making an artificial area or plat- 
form on which to erect the house of the Lord. This work 
was begun by building heavy stone walls on either slope of 
the hill, and far enough down so that the required width 
might be obtained. These walls were immense masses of 
masonry, composed of huge blocks of cut stone, some of 
them weighing, it is estimated, a hundred tons. 

It was this great work of preparing the platform for the 
temple that occupied Solomon's 180,000 workmen so many 
years. 1 Kings 5:13, 16. And let us examine the extent of 
this work. A writer (Prof. McGarvey) who has given the 
subject a very close and critical examination, says: 

"Wishing to make a broad, level area on the top of the 
mountain, and nearly on a level with its sharp summit, he 
laid the foundation of the eastern and western walls on the 
solid rock near the foot of the mountain on each side, and 
built them up perpendicular until their tops were on a level 
with the top of the mountain. This required the western 
wall to be 150 feet high at its southern end and eighty feet 
high just opposite the temple. The eastern wall was 170 
feet high at its southern extremity, and seventy feet opposite 
the temple; but, on account of a descent of the rock from 
this point northward, it was 160 feet high near its northern 
end, where it crosses a depression in the rock. The eastern 
wall is 1536 feet long, while the western is 1608. 



262 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



To connect the southern ends of these two walls, which 
were 927 feet feet apart, a cut was made across that part of 
the mountain which lay between them, and the solid rock 
was laid bare to receive the foundations of the southern wall. 
The rock here rises about 100 feet as we pass from the east 
side westward, and then descends about 80 feet before we 
reach the south-western corner. This wall, then, in order to 
reach the level of the mountain's top, was built up like the 
southern end of the eastern wall, with which it was joined, 
forming a corner or angle 170 feet high, while its height at 
the western corner was 150 feel 

The northern ends of the two long walls were 1044 feet 
apart, showing that they were not parallel. At the north- 
western angle the rock came to the surface and rose twenty 
feet above the desired level; so here the rock was cut away 
in leveling, and a perpendicular wall of solid rock was left 
standing at the corner and some distance east of it. 

In the year 1867, Captain Warren made a number of ex- 
cavations, under the auspices of the Palestine Exploration 
Fund of England, to the foundation of the present walls 
around the temple platform and down to the solid rock on 
Mount Moriah, and everywhere he discovered the founda- 
tion stones were laid not only on the natural rock, but with- 
in a bed two feet deep, cut for them in this rock, so that noth- 
ing could move them from their places. The foundation 
stones bear to this day the marks of Phoenician letters paint- 
ed on them by Hiram's workmen, to show the order in which 
they were to be laid down. (Our Work in Palestine, pp. 
121, 122.) 

If we have now fully grasped the extent of the walls 
here described, we can form some conception of the great 
work performed by Solomon. The walls were now complete, 
and the work of filling in the inclosed space, which contain- 



A STUPENDOUS WOEK. 



263 



ed about thirty-five acres, was then commenced. Captain 
"Warren made a careful estimate of the amount of earth re- 
quired to fill this large area, and found that not less than 
70,000,000 cubic feet would be used in leveling up the plat- 
form. 

With these facts and figures in our minds, and they are all 
well authenticated by recent excavations and measurements, 
the account given by Josephus will not appear so extrava- 
gant as it did before the knowledge here given was gained. 
He says, after speaking of the inner temple and court: 

"But he made that temple which was beyond this, a 
most wonderful one indeed, and such as exceeds all descrip- 
tion in words; nay, if I may so say, is hardly believed upon 
sight; for when he had filled up the great valleys with earth 
which, on account of their great depth, could not be looked 
on, when you bended down to see them, without pain, and 
had elevated the ground four hundred cubits, he made it to 
be on a level with the top of the mountain on which the tem- 
ple was built." No wonder it took so many years to com- 
plete this stupendous piece of work. 

At the south-east corner, where the space to be filled was 
the greatest, the outer wall was 170 feet high. In order 
to save filling up this great space solidly, heavy stone 
piers were built from the solid rock nearly up to the requir- 
ed level. Strong arches were built on the piers and then the 
earth was laid on top of the arches, until the desired level 
was reached. Here, then, at the south-eastern angle of the 
temple area, were a number of subterranean vaults; and when 
these were discovered in modern times, tkey were supposed 
to be Solomon's stable. And they may have been used for 
this purpose by the great and wise monarch, for there is evi- 
dence to show that they were so used in later years; as when 



\ 

264 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

we visited them we found rings cut in the piers for tying 
horses. 

Many investigators and explorers say that Solomon's 
palace stood at the southern end of the temple platform, 
whilst others, including Captain Warren, insist that this 
building stood on Mount Zion. As Warren is perhaps the 
most careful and painstaking explorer who has examined the 
subject, his opinions have great weight with scholars. "This 
temple-crowned and stone-encased mountain" was now con- 
nected with Mount Zion by two arched bridges thrown across 
the Tyropean Yalley. Thus an easy passage was secured 
from Mount Zion to the temple platform. 

These bridges were long ago destroyed, and their exist- 
ence had passed entirely out of human knowledge, until Dr. 
Edward Kobinson, the great Palestine explorer, discovered, 
by excavating, the foundation and remains of the arch of the 
most southern bridge, thirty-nine feet from the south-western 
corner of the platform wall. It has ever since borne his 
name, and will continue to be known as Eobinson's Arch. 

Captain Wilson, of the Palestine Exploration Eund, 
made a like discovery some distance farther north, and Wil- 
son's Arch perpetuates the name of its discoverer. These 
arches and bridges, lately discovered, are believed to have 
been the work of Herod the Great. Whilst making excava- 
tions beneath Wilson's Arch, Captain Warren discovered the 
remains of another arch and vaulting at the depth of twen- 
ty-four feet below the present surf ace of the earth. Be- 
low and under Robinson's Arch, at the depth of twenty-one 
and a half feet, lying on a pavement, he found the vault 
stones of the arch of a bridge. These were, no doubt, the 
remains of the bridges built by Solomon. 

The Haram, or Temple Platform, was entered by six 
gates; four on the west, one on the east, and one at the south 



THE BEAUTIFUL GATE. 



265 



end of the area. The one at the south was constructed of 
Cyclopean masonry and led up to the temple area by stone 
steps. Two of those on the west were located at the 
terminus of the bridges before described ; the third is cover- 
ed with buildings, and the fourth is entered by a causeway 
which still exists. 

But the wonder of all the gates was that on the east, 
leading from the court of women to the upper court of the 
temple. This gate has been called the Golden Gate, and in 
the New Testament, the Beautiful Gate; it is very high, 
strongly fortified, and most richly and elaborately ornament- 
ed. In our next letter, we will give some account of the 
Temple and of the Rock of Sacrifice. 



LETTER VIII. 



The Dome of tlie Rock or the Mosque of Omar— Solomon's 
Temple— The Sacred Rock— The Mosque El-Aska— 
r Solomon's Stables, and the King's Cisterns. 

||||ntering the sacred precincts of the temple area, by 
|||| one of the western gateways, we find ourselves on a 
level platform, the dimensions of which we have giv- 
en, containing about thirty-five acres. Nearly in the centre 
of this area, on an irregular platform, ten feet high, stands 
the Mosque of Omar, or Dome of the Rocfc a Mohammedan 
church, said to have been built by the Caliph Omar, whose 
name it bears. 

Mr. Catherwood, who spent nearly two months in and 
around the temple area, and the mosque, taking measure- 
ments, exploring, and investigating, gives a detailed descrip- 
tion of the place. He entered by the same gate by which we 
gained admittance, and says: 

"In going from the gateway to the mosque, a distance of 
one hundred and fifty feet, several praying-places of the Mo- 
hammedans are passed, with one or two elegant fountains, 
surmounted by beautiful cupolas, overshadowed by cypress 
and plane-trees. The great platform is, in general, about 
fifteen or sixteen feet above the area, and is reached by three 
flights of stairs on the western side, above which are elegant, 
pointed archways, probably of the same age as the mosque. 
Of these there are also on the south side two, on the north 
side two, and on the east side one. At various intervals be- 
tween these are apartments under, and attached to, the plat- 
form, appropriated to the poorest class of Mohammedan pil- 



THE MOSQUE OE OMAR. 267 

grims. "This extensive platform is four hundred and fifty 
feet from east to west, and five hundred and fifty-three feet 
from north to south, paved, in part, with marble. On it are 
several small and elegant praying places." 

Our readers will bear in mind that this is a second plat- 
form, raised above the first, and it is generally believed that 
on this upper platform, where now stands the Turkish 
mosque, once stood, in all its magnificence and glory, the 
Jewish temple. This upper platform is paved with slabs of 
marble, and is holy ground: and hence the Moslems tread on 
it only with shoeless feet. Besides the large mosque, a num- 
ber of smaller buildings are scattered over the platform. A 
few trees are growing on this space, mostly cypress. We al- 
so noticed an olive tree. 

Having taken off our boots and shoes, and put on the yel- 
low slippers, brought along from the hotel for the occasion, 
we followed our guide across the platform and entered the 
great Mosque of Omar. 

Before entering the building, we took a survey of its ex- 
terior. The dome is nicely proportioned, and presents a 
pleasing and attractive view to the eye. The outer walls are 
partly covered with tiles, and partly with marble slabs. At 
one time the walls were entirely covered with marble, but 
some of the slabs having fallen off, they were replaced with 
porcelain in 1561. There is also a frieze around the upper 
part of the wall, made of porcelain tiles, on which are writ- 
ten verses from the Koran, each one having been written on 
and burned separately. The tiles are painted a subdued 
blue, with white and green squares on the edges, making al- 
together a beautifully colored wall. The top of the dome is 
covered with lead, which is quite black with age 

In shape the building is octagon, or eight-sided, each 
one of the sides measuring sixty-six feet in length, or 528 

84 



268 



LETTEKS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



feet in circumference. Four doors, facing the cardinal points 
of the compass, give admittance to the edifice. They are 
square in form, and are surmounted with a vaulted arch. In 
each side of the building are seven windows, making in all 
fifty-six. There are also windows in the drum of the dome. 
The windows are made of small pieces of colored glass, which 
are set in plaster and held together by clamps of iron. Our 
fine illustration on the opposite page gives an excellent view 
of the structure. 

At the entrance we were met by a sheik and several at- 
tendants, who conducted us through the building. The inte- 
rior is dark and gloomy, owing to the fact that the windows 
do not admit sufficient light. It took some time before our 
eyes became accustomed to the gloom within. The interior 
walls are also covered with porcelain. The pavement is made 
of marble mosaics, and a few pieces of matting are laid on it. 
The dome, from the pavement to the top, is 170 feet high 
and 65 feet in diameter. It is richly decorated, and is a fine 
piece of Oriental workmanship. It is supported by four im- 
mense piers and twelve Corinthian columns. The dome is 
covered with rich mosaics, and the upper part with tablets of 
wood nailed to the roof, colored blue, and richly adorned with 
painted and gilded stucco. Between the circles of piers and 
columns, on which the dome rests, and the wall, is another 
row or circle of columns, the shafts of which are of different 
colored marble. They have all been taken from older edi- 
fices and fitted into this building. An inscription records 
the fact that the dome was erected in the year 1022. 

We now proceed to examine the Holy Kock, before 
which everything else in the mosque pales in interest. Stand- 
ing immediately in the centre of the dome, and rising about 
six and a half feet above the pavement, is to be seen a part 
of the original surface rock of Mount Moriah. In preparing 



THE SACRED ROCK. 



271 



the temple area, the top of the ridge of the mountain was cut ' 
down a few feet, but this portion of the rock was not disturb- 
ed. The solid rock was cut away from it, and here it stands 
to-day, with nearly the same shape given it by Solomon's 
workmen nearly 3000 years ago. It is 57 feet long, 43 feet 
wide and at the highest point stands six and a half feet above 
the floor. It has a slight dip or slant towards the north-east 
end, where it is only two and a half feet high. The measure- 
ments here given are taken from Baedeker, and are, perhaps, 
the most reliable. Other authors give measurements varying 
from this a few feet. This discrepancy arises from the fact 
that it is exceedingly difficult to measure or to get the privi- 
lege to measure it. 

Why is the rock called holy? There is no direct refer- 
ence made to it in the Bible. It is first mentioned in the 
Jewish Talmud and later Jewish traditions, which are genu- 
inely ancient. It is also mentioned in the Jewish interpreta- 
tions of the Scriptures. According to these traditions, it was 
on this rock that the great priest Melchizedek offered sacri- 
fices to the most high God. Here Abraham erected an altar, 
on which he was to offer his son Isaac. Here J acob slept, 
and anointed the Holy Bock with oil. It was part of the 
threshing-floor of Araunab. Here David offered sacrifice to 
stay the plague. 2 Sam. 24: 18-25. Solomon's Most Holy 
Place covered this rock, and here the ark of the covenant was 
concealed by Jeremiah, and beneath the rock it lies buried 
to this day. Here, too, was written the Shemhamphorah, the 
great and unspeakable name of God. Solomon, regarding 
the place with the veneration accorded to holy places, did 
not disturb the rock, around which clustered so many sacred 
traditions. It is true that we must depend upon traditions 
here, but they are so ancient, and seem to be so well substan- 



272 



LETTERS EEOM BIBLE LANDS. 



tiated by facts that they may, in some cases at least, be ac- 
cepted as the truth. 

At the lower end a hole has been cut through the rock, 
and there are traces of a channel leading down to the hole. 
It is said, by some writers, that this hole was connected by a 
conduit with a sewer that passed out under the walls of the 
city and emptied into the brook of Kidron. In this way the 
use of the hole is easily accounted for. After offering sacri- 
fices, the rock, which served as a great altar, was flooded 
with water, and the blood, ashes and filth carried off. Of 
course, this theory is based only on conjecture. The mys- 
tery surrounding the rock could, no doubt, be definitely set- 
tled if excavations could be made, but the place is strictly 
guarded by Mohammedans, who refuse to allow anything of 
the kind. It is surrounded by an iron railing, and visitors 
are only allowed to look at it. At one point a small portion 
extends beyond the iron screen, and this has been worn 
smooth by tlie lips of devout men who have kneeled down 
and kissed it. 

Beneath the rock is a cave. Going down eleven steps, 
we stood directly beneath the rock The sides of the cavern 
are covered with whitewash, so that the character of the 
stone cannot be determined. The sheik pounded on the floor 
of the cave and the hollow sound emitted showed that there 
was another opening beneath where we stood. Our guide 
related many wonderful stories about the rock. One or two 
will suffice to show what the Mohammedans believe in re- 
gard to it. 

It is said when Mohammed started on his trip to heaven, 
that the rock wanted to follow him, and started for that pur- 
pose, but was held down by the angel Gabriel, the print of 
whose hands is still pointed out to visitors. We looked at 
the place so shown, but could see nothing resembling the 



Solomon's temple. 273 

shape of a hand. A slight depression is to be seen, probably 
caused by a part of the stone being chipped away. Our 
guide further told us that before Mohammed started on his 
journey, he was in the cavern beneath the rock, praying, and 
that he went right up through it. The hole, referred to be- 
fore, is in this way accounted for by the Moslems. 

Coming up from the cavern, we spent some time in wan- 
dering around through the mosque and finally passing out at 
the south door, descended a number of steps and were again 
on the temple area. Here we found the Arab who had 
charge of our boots and shoes, and we discarded our yellow 
slippers for our own more substantial and comfortable foot- 
gear. 

Solomon's Temple. 

As we go down from the platform of the Dome of the 
Bock, we turn to take another survey of the building, and 
whilst looking, we thought of that other temple that once 
stood on this very ground, the pride and glory of Israel and 
the wonder of all surrounding nations. It required only a 
little effort of the imagination, and we were back to the time 
when "Psalmist wrote and patriot sung, of the Temple's glo- 
ry. Hither the tribes came up; here shone forth the light 
of Shekinah; here was the centre of the religious, the poetic- 
al and the political life of God's chosen nation. And then 
one thinks of the defeats and disasters consequent upon dis- 
obedience; how glory after glory vanished, until alien pow- 
ers desolated and utterly destroyed the holy place. One 
thinks of devout Jews in every land, oppressed and burden- 
ed, turning towards this sacred site, and remembering it with 
tears as they pray for restoration to their land. Above all, 
the Christian thinks of the little child presented there by the 
Holy Mother of the Youth, and of the Divine "Man teaching 
and preaching the things concerning himself." 



274 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

Then we could not help but. draw a contrast between the 
present and the past. Where now stands the great Mo- 
hammedan Mosque, and the rites of the Moslem relig- 
ion are celebrated; then stood Solomon's great temple in 
its radiant splendor, and the living God was worshiped by 
his chosen people. Now, on the temple area, may be seen a 
few Moslem pilgrims kneeling before some holy place; then 
the teeming millions of Israel's hosts came crowding up to 
the great temple to offer sacrifice, and to worship the God of 
their fathers. Truly a great change has been wrought, and 
our Savior's words, spoken to the Jews, are brought to the 
mind, "Behold, your house shall be left unto you desolate." 

The exact site of the temple has long been a subject of 
sharp controversy. Whilst all agree that the temple 'stood 
on the platform, which has been fully described in these 
pages, yet the exact spot ol its location has not been author- 
itatively settled. From this fact we may learn how complete 
was the destruction that fell upon the J ewish temple. The 
words of the Lord are again called to mind, when he said to 
his disciples, "See ye not all these things? Yerily I say un- 
to you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another, 
that shall not be thrown down." 

When we consider that to-day no man knows positive- 
ly where the foundation of the temple stood, we can realize 
how literally the words of the Master were fulfilled. Some 
scholars and investigators have claimed that the building 
stood at the south-east corner of the platform, overlooking 
the valleys of Jehoshaphat and Hinnom. More recent in- 
vestigations, however, seem to settle the question, that the 
sacred edifice must have stood nearly in the centre of the 
area, upon a raised terrace or second platform, something- 
higher than the first, and corresponding very nearly with the 



REBUILDING THE TEMPLE. . 275 

upper platform upon which the dome of the rock stands at 
the present time. 

According to the Bible account, the house built by Solo- 
mon was of great splendor. It consisted of an inner temple, 
with the sanctuary and Holy of holies within it. By passing 
through a court, the sanctuary was reached, and in front of 
this entrance court, lay the court of the priests, in which 
stood the altar of burnt offerings, the molten sea, and the 
lavers. The priests' court was surrounded by a large ante- 
rior court or yard. 

Bsedeker says that the second temple which the J ews 
erected under very adverse circumstances after their return 
from the Babylonish captivity, was far inferior in magnifi- 
cence to the one built by Solomon, and no trace of it now re- 
mains. Of the third temple, that of Herod the Great, some 
remains of the extension platform walls yet remain. This 
splendor-loving prince began to rebuild the temple in the 
year 20 B. C. The erection of this imposing edifice was still 
progressing during the life-time of our Lord, but it was nev- 
er completely carried out in the style originally projected. 
We have an account of this temple by Josephus, but as it 
was written at Borne at a later period, his descriptions are 
not at all times clear and precise. To this period belong 
the imposing substructures on the south side, in which di- 
rection the temple platform was at that time much extended, 
while the Asmoneans had enlarged it toward the north. The 
still visible, enclosing walls, with their huge stones, which 
had, perhaps, partly belonged to the earlier edifice, were 
doubtless also the work of Herod. 

The excavations made by Captain Warren, to whom we 
owe much for his able work and extensive investigations on 
and around the temple area, proves that enclosing walls exist 
in every direction under the ground, showing that the origi- 



276 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

nal platform constructed by Solomon lias been repeatedly 
enlarged. But Herod's temple, as we may call it, was most 
magnificently planned and in part completed. Around the 
margin or edge of the great platform ran two rows of beauti- 
ful stone columns enclosing the whole area. The porch of 
Solomon, in which Christ once walked, John 10: 23, is placed 
by some on the south side; by others, with greater probabil- 
ity, on the east side. On the south side there were four 
rows of columns, 162 in number. 

On the west side there were four, and on the south two 
gates, and the vestibules .were approached by stairs leading 
through corridors. The colonnades enclosed the great court 
of the Gentiles, which always presented a busy scene. A 
balustrade enclosed a second court, lying higher, where no- 
tices were placed prohibiting all but Jews from entering this 
inner entrance court, A notice of this kind in Greek, clearly 
corresponding with the description given by Josephus, was 
found a few years ago. 

A section of the fore court of the Israelites was special- 
ly set apart for the women. Beyond this lay the court of 
the priests with the great sacrificial altar of unhewn stone. 
A deep, richly decorated corridor now led, by twelve steps, 
to the sanctuary or holy place, strictly so called, which 
occupied the highest ground on the temple area. Beyond 
the gate was the curtain or veil, within which stood the altar 
of incense, the table with the shew-bread, and the golden can- 
dlestick. A .number of apartments are here situated. In 
the background of the holy place, a door led into the Holy of 
holies. The temple was built of magnificent materials, and 
many parts of it were lavishly decorated with large plates of 
gold. The principal front of this splendid edifice looked 
towards the east, while on the north end two passages led 
from the colonnades of the temple to the strong castle by 



THE MOSQUE EL-ASKA. 



277 



which the sacred building was protected. It was from this 
castle that Titus witnessed the burning of the beautiful tem- 
ple in the year A. D. 70. This account gives us a faint idea 
of the magnificence of the work of Herod. The account is 
taken largely from Josephus. 

The Mosque El-Aska. 

Continuing our walk south from the Mosque of Omar, 
we pass some fine cypress trees growing on the platform and 
a stunted, old olive tree. A short distance from the Mosque 
we reach a large basin, in the center of which is a font or 
baptistery, which was supplied with water from Solomon's 
Pools, and was probably used for baptizing during the time 
the Christians held the city. The basin is deep enough and 
large enough so that the ordinance of baptism might have 
been administered by immersion. Passing on to the south 
end of the temple area, we enter the Mosque of El-Aska. 
This is an irregular pile of buildings, thought by some to 
have been erected by J ustinia in honor of the Virgin Mary. 
We were not particularly impressed with the structure. We 
give Captain Wilson's account of the interior of the Mosque: 

"The porch in front, from two niches for statues still re- 
maining in it, would appear to be the work of the templars 
when they occupied the building. In the interior four styles 
of capitals were noticed; those on thick, stunted columns, 
forming the center aisle, which are of heavy design; those of 
the columns under the dome, which are of the Corinthian or- 
der, and similar to the ones in the dome of the rock; those 
on the pillars forming the western boundary of the Woman's 
Mosque, which are of the same character as the heavy, bas- 
ket-shaped capitals seen in the chapel of Helena; and those 
of the columns to the east and west of the dome, which are 
of the basket shape, but smaller and better proportioned 

35 



278 LETTERS EEOM BIBLE LANDS. 

than the others. One of the small basket capitals was bro- 
ken, and, on examination, proved to be made of plaster; the 
others of the same series seemed to be of similar construction, 
whilst the Corinthian ones were all of white marble. * 

* * The columns and piers of the Mosque are con- 
nected by a rude architecture, which consists of beams of 
roughly squared timber, inclosed in a casing of one- inch 
stuff, on which decorations, such as they are, are made; the 
beams are much decayed and appear older than the casing. 
All the arches are painted. Some of the windows in El-As- 
ka are very good, but hardly equal to those of the dome of 
the rock. * * * A great part of El-Aska is cov- 
ered with whitewash, but the interior of tbe dome and the 
portion immediately under it is richly decorated with mosaic 
work and marble casing." 

Our guide and the sheik pointed out to us many wonder- 
ful places, the stories of which, like the Moslem traditions 
of the rock, are simply preposterous. Here are shown the 
tombs of the sons of Aaron, the foot-prints of Christ, the 
praying place of Moses, and near these are standing two pil- 
lars, so close together that an ordinary sized person cannot 
pass between them. Every pilgrim tries to force a way be- 
tween these columns. Those who are successful are assured 
of a place in Paradise, and those who fail are admonished 
that their case is doubtful. This Mohammedan test of a fit- 
ness for heaven is rather hard on big people. 

Leaving the Mosque we go directly to the south-east 
corner of the Haram, and descending thirty-two steps, we 
come to a small, vaulted chamber, in which, it is said, Simeon 
dwelt and that our Savior was brought here when eight days 
old to be circumcised according to the law. From this small 
room we made another descent and entered the vaulted cham- 
bers beneath the temple platform, known as Solomon's sta- 



SOLOMON'S STABLES. 279 

bles. Here one can see better than anywhere else how the 
valleys were filled in order to make the great platform for the 
temple. The space below has been filled up somewhat, but 
it is yet large enough to impress us with the vast amount of 
work done here by Solomon. The semicircular vaults rest 
on a hundred square piers built of heavy drafted stones of 
ancient workmanship. Our cut shows the character of these 

substructures very 
plainly. Solomon's 
palace was near this 
place, and these huge 
vaults, first intended 
to level up the valley, 
may have been used 
by him as stables. — 
We read in 1 Kings 
4: 26, "Solomon had 
forty thousand stalls 
of horses for his char- 
iots." It is certain 
that the vaults were 
used by the Knight 
Templars for the pur- 
pose of stabling their 
horses. The rings cut 
into the solid stone 
piers are yet to be seen. The space covered by these vaults 
is somewhat irregular in shape. From east to west its great- 
est length is about 320 feet, and its greatest breadth from 
north to south, 250 feet. 

After examining the vaults fully, we came up again to 
the surface of the platform. Passing along to the north, we 
came to the King's Cisterns, or cisterns of the sea. These 




Solomon's stables. 



280 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

huge reservoirs were supplied with water from Solomon's 
pools. They are hewn in the solid rock, portions of which 
were left standing and serve as piers on which the arches 
rest, by which the cisterns are covered. Baedeker says they 
are upwards of forty feet in depth and 246 yards in circum- 
ference. Other parts of the Haram are honey-combed with 
cisterns tof immense capacity. On account of these facilities 
for storing water, Jerusalem never wanted for water, even 
during the longest sieges. At the present time, these cisterns 
contain but little water. 

To the right and north of the cisterns, we come to a 
small stair-way leading to the top of the wall, which is the 
east wall of the city. From this point a fine view is had of 
the Yalley of Jehoshaphat and the Mount of Olives. Below, 
the ground is covered with graves, containing the dead of all 
generations, and memorial stones. All devout Jews have a 
strong desire to be laid to rest in this valley, for here will 
the Messiah come when the prophecy of Joel is fulfilled: 
" I will gather all nations and will bring them clown into the 
Yalley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for 
my people, and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scat- 
tered among the nations, and parted my land." Joel 3: 2. 

East of the valley rise the slopes of Olivet; the Kidron, 
the tombs of Absalom and Zechariah, and the Garden of 
Gethsemane are in full view. Close by, built in the wall 
horizontally, and protruding from it, is a stump of a column. 
The Moslems say that at the last day, a thin rope will be 
stretched from the top of Mount Olivet to this column, and 
the righteous will pass over, attended by angels, whilst the 
wicked, attempting to cross over, will fall headlong into the 
abyss below. 

A lj^tle farther on to the north, is situated the Golden 
Gate, or Beautiful Gate, as it is sometimes called. It has 



THE WALLS OE THE CITY, ETC. 



281 



been closed up by a wall of masonry. Zechariah refers, no 
doubt, to the closing of this gate— 44: 1, 2. The guide told 
us that the Jews had a tradition that when their Messiah 
came, he would enter this gate and restore the kingdom of 
Israel. The Moslems, hearing this, and determined to pre- 
vent the fulfillment of the prophecy, wailed up the gate. In- 
side of the wall, built to keep out the conqueror, the tower of 
the gate is still open and is an interesting object. Overhead 4 
are six arches, resting on the lateral walls and on two col- 
umns. The tower is highly ornamented with cornices, acan- 
thus leaves and foliage. 

By a staircase, an ascent can be made to the top of the 
tower of the Golden Gate, from which a fine view is had of 
the Temple Platform and of the approaches to Dome of the 
Eock. North of the Golden Gate, is another mosque, small- 
er than those already described, called Solomon's Throne, 
from the tradition that here the wise king was found dead. 

We now come to the north wall of the area, having walk- 
ed along the eastern wall from the south end to the north. 
The north wall contains three gates, and just outside of this 
wall is the pool of Bethesda. A small valley leading into 
the Tyropean, was used in the construction of this large pool. 
At the present time, it is filled up with rubbish and filth to 
the depth of twenty feet. It is about sixty-eight feet below 
the level of the Temple Platform. It is 363 feet long and 
132 feet wide, and was at one time supposed to be the Pool 
of Bethesda of the New Testament, and still bears that name, 
but it is more generally known as the Birket Isra-el,. or pool 
of Israel. Captain Warren succeeded in passing from the 
pool through an opening in the wall of the Haram into an 
arched or vaulted chamber, through which the pool, doubt- 
less, had an outlet to the valley below. It was supplied with 
water from the west side. 



282 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

At the north-west corner of the platform stands the 
highest minaret of the Haram. The minaret is a tall tower, 
the top of which is reached by a winding stairs, and wher- 

.ever there is a mosque, there is also a minaret, correspond- 
ing somewhat to church steeples; but instead of. using a bell, 
a Moslem mounts the minaret at the stated time of prayer 
( at daylight, at sunrise, at noon, at sunset, and at the end of 

"twilight), and calls, in a loud voice, the hours of prayer. 
The faithful Moslem leaves his work when he hears the 
muezzin's call, and betakes himself to his devotions. 

As we walked across the Haram, the cries from the num- 
ber of minarets came sounding in our ears, and we noticed a 
number of men kneeling down where they stood, and in a 
very business-like and unconcerned sort of a way, begin to 
pray. Whatever else may be said about the Mohammedans 
in and around the mosques, they cannot be said to neglect 
their prayers. 



LETTER IX. 




The Via Dolorosa -The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, 
and the Sacred Fire. 

saving the Haram, we proceed to the Yia Dolorosa, or 
sorrowful way. This is the traditional street or way 
by which our Savior is said to have carried his cross 
from Pilate's judgment hall to the place of crucifixion. It is 
also called street of pain, and way of the cross. The street 
is narrow, very crooked and roughly paved with stones. One 
sees many ancient houses and much old mason work. The 
street is spanned with arches and, in many places, houses 
are built over it, presenting a picturesque appearance. Along 
the street are fourteen stations, or holy places, each marking 
some event that occurred in that sorrowful procession, which 
to-day more than two-thirds of the Christian world believe 
passed along this street. 

Whatever may be our feelings in regard to these so-call- 
ed holy places of the Latins and Greeks, we cannot look with 
indifference at the stations bedewed with the tears of gener- 
ations of pilgrims. Thousands of them have passed along 
this. street bare-legged, on their hands and knees, striving to 
follow in the footsteps of our Lord. To them, and according 
to their faith, they were, with tears and cries of sorrow and 
anguish, following their Master to the cross. We cannot 
help admiring their zeal, whilst we deplore their ignorance. 
For, as a matter of history, this street has only been known 
as the way to the cross since the 14th century, and there does 
not seem to be a historical fact to sustain its sacred charac- 



284 



LETTEBS FKOM BIBLE LANDS. 



ter. All of its holy stations are entirely legendary and are 
based only on the merest tradition. 

We start on onr walk from St. Stephen's Gate, near 
where tradition says the first martyr of the church was ston- 
ed to death. Near the gate stands the palace of the Pasha 
of Jerusalem, a Turkish officer, and near by the barracks 
are to be seen. These buildings are supposed to occupy the. 
site of the Prsetorium, the residence of Pilate. During the 
Crusaders' period, this spot was, and has since been held as 
the place whence our Savior bore his cross to Mt. Calvary. 
The stone steps of the building were transferred to the 
church of St. Giovanni in Koine, where they are regarded 
with great veneration by the Latins. There are fourteen sta- 
tions on the route where the faithful Latin, Greek, Armenian 
and Copt kneels, kisses the stones and offers a prayer for the 
salvation of his soul. The first station is a small chapel 
within the Turkish barracks. The second is outside of the 
barracks, at the foot of the steps. At this place it is said 
the cross was laid on Christ. 

From this point the mournful procession took its way 
to the place of the crucifixion. The next station is marked 
by a broken column where the Lord sank under the weight 
of the cross. Before reaching this, we pass under an arch 
crossing the street, called the arch of Ecce Homo, or Pilate's 
Arch. Here, it is said, Pilate stood when he uttered the 
words, "Behold the Man." John 19: 5. Here is also to be 
seen a large building belonging to the " Sisters of Zion," a 
Boman Catholic school in which there are 120 students, all 
girls. The fourth station, where the mother of our Lord is 
said to have met him, is passed and the fifth is reached. 
Here is said to be the house of the rich man Dives; a hand- 
some stalactite gate is here seen. This station is said to 
mark the place where Simon, the Cyrenian, took the cross 



THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. 285 

and helped to carry it The sixth station is where St. Veron- 
ica wiped the sweat from the Savior's brow, and his image 
was imprinted on the handkerchief. The seventh, eighth 
and ninth stations mark where he addressed the women who 
followed him and where he again sank to the ground. We 
now come to the church of the Holy Sepulchre, a large build- 
ing said to stand on the spot where the Lord was crucified. 
The last five stations are inside of the church and mark the 
places where Christ was undressed, where he was nailed to 
the cross, where he was taken down from the cross and, fi- 
nally, the Holy Sepulchre itself. 

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. 

As we approached this spot, at whose shrine millions of 
pilgrims have worshipped, we were somewhat weary and 
foot-sore by our long walk, but the interest awakened by the 
place overcame our fatigue. No one can approach this 
church without reverential feelings; for millions of professed 
Christians, in their simple faith, believe that here is the very 
spot where Christ was crucified; that here he was laid in the 
tomb, and that here, after the third day, he rose again and 
revealed himself to his disciples. No matter what our own 
opinions may be in regard to these so-called holy places, we 
must respect, at least, the faith of the zealous pilgrim, who 
deprives himself of ail hope of earthly gain in order to offer 
his prayer at these, to him, holy shrines. Of course, there 
has been a great deal of controversy over this site, and we 
shall not attempt to enter into it. A few facts will be given 
and our readers may draw their own conclusions. 

The church and the place pointed out as Calvary now 
stand in the city, inside of the present city walls about 200 
yards. If the walls of the city at present occupy the 
same foundation upon which the walls stood when the cruci- 

36 



286 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

fixion took place, then we could at once say that the church 
of the Holy Sepulchre does not stand on Calvary. For, ac- 
cording to the Scriptures, Jesus "suffered without the gate." 
"The bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the 
sanctuary by the high priest, for sin, are burned without the 
camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the 
people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate." Heb. 
13: 11, 12. "This title then read many of the Jews: for the 
place where Jesus was crucified was nigh unto the city." 
John 19: 20. From these passages of Scripture it will be 
seen that the true Calvary was outside of the city, but " nigh 
to" it. 

The custom of the Jews was, at that time, to crucify 
criminals outside the gates of cities. This position is admit- 
ted by all. The next question is, Could the present site of 
the church ever have been outside of the walls? Baedeker 
says: "It is certain, however, that much less rubbish lies 
west of the church of the sepulchre than to the east, whence 
it would appear that the site of the present church of the 
sepulchre lies outside the second, and thus meets the require- 
ment of the Bible narrative." Thompson says, " It should 
be candidly admitted, I think, that the Holy Sepulchre is the 
only site supported by ancient tradition; and yet I am not 
persuaded that it is the true one." And this is true; as early 
as the third century, this place was pointed out as the place 
of crucifixion. Bishop Eusebius, born in Csesarea about A. 
D. 261, in his Ecclesiastical History, gives the earliest infor- 
mation on the subject. He records the fact that during the 
reign of Constantine, the first Christian emperor of Borne, 
the sacred tomb of the Savior was discovered hewn in a rock. 
Later historians give the account of Helena, the mother of 
Constantine, who, directed by a vision, discovered not only 



THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. 287 

the sepulchre, but also the cross of Christ. This was in the 
fourth century. 

It is certain, however, that the actual site of Golgotha 
cannot now be determined, and no wonder; for the city has 
been so many times destroyed that the entire locality has un- 
dergone a marked change. An interesting note from Dean 
Stanley is given on this subject: 

"Underneath the western galleries of the church, behind 
the Holy Sepulchre, are two excavations in the face of the 
rock, forming an ancient Jewish sepulchre, as clearly as any 
that can be seen in the Valley of Hinnom or in the Tombs of 
the Kings. The existence of these sepulchres proves, almost 
to a certainty, that at some period the site of the present 
church must have been outside the walls of the city, and 
lends considerable probability to the belief that the rocky 
excavation, which perhaps exists in part still, and certainly 
once existed entire within the marble casing of the chap- 
el of the Holy Sepulchre, was, at any rate, a really ancient 
tomb, and not, as is often rashly asserted, a modern struct- 
ure intended to imitate it." 

Approaching the church, we found a motley crowd sur- 
rounding its doors. Pilgrims, priests, monks, beggars, and 
venders of relics, rosaries, beads, etc., etc., were clustered 
around the portals of the church. Entering the door, we 
observed a couple of Turkish soldiers, whose business it is to 
keep peace between the rival sects who worship here. Pass- 
ing the guard, we came, first, to the Stone of Anointment, up- 
on which the body of the Lord is said to have been laid 
when it was prepared for burial. John 19: 38. This stone 
has been pressed by the lips of thousands of pilgrims, many 
of whom buy, in Jerusalem, white cloth and measure a suffi- 
cient quantity of it on this stone for a shroud in which to be 



288 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

buried. This part of the church belongs to the Armenians, 
but the Greeks and Catholics also have access to it. 

A few steps from the Stone of Unction we enter the ro- 
tunda, sixty-five feet in diameter. The dome is covered with 
mosaics. In the centre of the rotunda stands the Holy Sep- 
ulchre, the supreme .object of veneration to the pilgrims. It 
is twenty-six feet long and seventeen and a half feet wide. 
The front is decorated with great numbers of silver lamps 
and candelabra. We enter, by a low door, the first chamber, 
called the Angel's Chapel, sixteen feet long and ten feet wide. 
Here is shown a stone set in marble, said to be that which 
the angel rolled away from the tomb of our Lord. In this 
chapel are kept constantly burning fifteen silver lamps, five 
of which belong to the Greeks, five to the Catholics, four to 
the Armenians and one to the Copts. At the one side of this 
chamber is a low door and, stooping down, we enter the chap- 
el of the Holy Sepulchre, a chamber six and a half feet long 
and six feet wide, very low and holding only three or four 
persons at once. Forty-three precious lamps are suspended 
from the ceiling, belonging to the different sects, and are al- 
ways kept burning. A marble slab covers the supposed sep- 
ulchre. It is cracked through the centre "and is much worn 
by the lips of adoring pilgrims." We saw the emotions of 
the devotees as they came in, kneeling down reverently and 
kissing the marble slab. The interior of the chapel is lined 
with heavy marble. 

In addition to the two chapels already described, the 
church contains many more, among which may be named the 
Chapel of the Apparition, where Jesus stood when he said 
to Mary Magdalene, "Woman, why weepest thou?"— the 
Chapel of the Division of the Vestment, where they "part- 
ed his garments"— the Chapel of Helena, where the cross of 
Christ was discovered, an Altar to the Penitent Thief, Chap- 



THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. ^0\J 

el of the Crown of Thorns and the Chapel of Golgotha. 
This place is reached by a flight of eighteen steps, being 
fourteen feet above the level of the Chapel of the Sepulchre. 
Here is a hole in the rock, where, it is claimed, the cross 
stood, and two other holes, one to the right and the other to 
the left, are shown, where the crosses of the two thieves were 
planted. Near by is a rent in the rock, said to have been 
caused by the earthquake at the time of the crucifixion. 
These and many other places are pointed out, all of which 
are regarded by the ignorant pilgrims as being the identical 
spot upon which occurred the events named. 

We confess that we came out of the Church of the Holy 
Sepulchre with far less veneration for its superstitious and 
traditionary holy sites than we had upon entering it. Anoth- 
er scene enacted here during the Easter festival by the Greek 
church is so openly and outrageously fraudulent that it is 
hard even to respect the priests who are guilty of the shame- 
less imposition. We refer to the rite known as the descent 
of the Holy Fire. 

On Easter morning, thousands of ignorant pilgrims 
crowd into the church and, amidst the most intense excite- 
ment, await the coming of the holy fire from above. At last, 
a torch is lighted in the holy sepulchre by a priest and hand- 
ed out through a round hole in the wall. And now begins a 
scene that beggars description yelling and shouting, tramp- 
ling upon each other in their mad haste to light tapers at the 
torch sent, as they believe, from heaven. The excited throng 
surges back and forth, all joining in a wild succession of 
yells. In their maddened zeal, they thrust their hands into 
the flames to show that the fire is harmless. In their frenzy 
many are trampled upon and numbers are injured. 

Dean Stanley, who visited the church during the Easter 
ceremonies, was present at the descent of the holy fire and 



290 LETTEES FEOM BIBLE LANDS. 

thus describes the closing scenes of this outrageous fraud: 
" They stagger, waver, and fall amidst the flight of priests, 
bishops and standard-bearers, hither and thither, before the 
the tremendous rush. In one small, compact band the Bish- 
op of Petra (who is, on this occasion, the Bishop of "The 
Fire," the representative of the Patriarch) is hurried to the 
Chapel of the Sepulchre and the door is closed behind him. 
The whole church is now one heaving sea of heads, resound- 
ing with an uproar which can be compared to nothing less 
than that of Guildhall, London, at a nomination for the city. 
One vacant space is left; a narrow lane from the aperture on 
the north side of the chapel to the wall of the church. By 
the aperture itself stands a priest to catch the fire; on each 
side of the lane, so far as the eye can reach, hundreds of 
bare arms are stretched out like the branches of a leafless 
forest — like branches of a forest quivering in some violent 
tempest. 

" In earlier and bolder times the expectation of the Di- 
vine Presence was, at this juncture, raised to a higher pitch 
by the appearance of a dove hovering above the cupola of 
the chapel, to indicate— so Maundrell was told— the visible 
descent of the Holy Ghost. This extraordinary act, whether 
of extravagant symbolism or of daring profaneness, has now 
been discontinued; but the belief still continues — and it is 
only from the knowledge of that belief that the full horror 
of the scene, the intense excitement of the next few mo- 
ments, can be adequately conceived. 

" Silent — awfully silent in the midst of this frantic up- 
roar, stands the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre. If any one 
could, at such a moment, be convinced of its genuineness, or 
could expect a display of miraculous power, assuredly it 
would be that its very stones would cry out against the wild 
fanaticism without and the unhappy weakness within, by 



THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. 

which it is at that hour desecrated. At last the moment 
comes. A bright flame, as of burning wood, appears inside 
the hole— the light, as every educated Greek knows and ac- 
knowledges, kindled by the bishop within— the light, as ev- 
ery pilgrim believes, of the descent of God himself upon 
the Holy Tomb. 

"Any distinct feature or incident is lost in the universal 
whirl of excitement which envelops the church, as slowly, 
gradually, the fire spreads from hand to hand, from taper to 
taper, through that vast multitude— till at last the whole ed- 
ifice, from gallery to gallery, and through the area below, is 
one wide blaze of thousands of burning candles. It is now 
that, according to some accounts, the Bishop or Patriarch is 
carried out of the chapel in triumph on the shoulders of the 
people, in a fainting state, ' to give the impression that he is 
overcome by the glory of the Almighty, from whose immedi- 
ate presence he is believed to come.' It is now that a mount- 
ed horseman, stationed at the gates of the church, gallops off 
with a lighted taper to communicate the sacred fire to the 
lamps of the Greek church in the convent at Bethlehem. It 
is now that the great rush to escape from the rolling smoke 
and suffocating heat, and to carry the lighted tapers into the 
streets and houses of Jerusalem, through the one entrance to 
the church, leads, at times, to the violent pressure which, in 
1834, cost the lives of hundreds. For a short time, the pil- 
grims run to and fro— rubbing their faces and breasts against 
the fire to attest its supposed harmlessness. But the wild 
enthusiasm terminates from the moment that the fire is com- 
municated; and perhaps not the least extraordinary part of 
the spectacle is the rapid and total subsidence of a frenzy so 
intense. 

" Such is the Greek Easter, the greatest moral argument 
against the identity of the spot which it professes to honor, 



292 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

stripped, indeed, of some of its most revolting features, yet 
still, considering the place, the time and the intention of the 
professed miracle, probably the most offensive delusion to 
be' found in the world." 

As above stated, in 1834 many people lost their lives in 
one of these wild orgies. An eye-witness thus graphically 
describes the fearful scene: 

"Every one struggled to defend himself, and in the me- 
lee all who fell were immediately trampled to death by the 
rest. So desperate and savage did the fight become, that 
even the panic-stricken and frightened pilgrims appeared at 
last to have been more intent upon the destruction of each 
other than desirous to save themselves. Tor my part, as 
soon as I perceived the danger, I cried to my companions to 
turn back, which they had done, but I myself w r as carried on 
by the press till I came near the door, where all were fight- 
ing for their lives. Here, seeing certain destruction before 
me, I made every eudeavor to get back. An officer of the 
Pasha, equally alarmed with myself, was also trying to re- 
turn. He caught hold of my cloak and pulled me down on 
the body of an old man who was breathing out his last sigh. 
As the officer was pressing me to the ground, we wrestled to- 
gether among the dying and the dead with the energy of de- 
spair. I struggled with this man till I pulled him down, and 
happily got away upon my legs (I afterward discovered that 
he never rose again) and, scrambling over a pile of corpses, 
I made my way back into the body of the church. The dead 
were lying in heaps, even upon the Stone of Unction; and I 
saw full four hundred wretched people, dead and dying, 
heaped promiscuously one upon another, in some places 
above five feet high." — Curzon's Monasteries of the Levant. 

Since this terrible calamity, a strong guard of Turkish 
soldiers has been stationed at the church to keep the peace. 



THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. 293 

It is sad to reflect that this condition of things exists 
and that it can be set down against professing Christians. 
The Moslems may well say, as they do say here, "What fools 
these Christians are!" It is, however, only another evidence 
of what ignorance does for the human race. There is not a 
single educated Greek but knows it to be a shameful imposi- 
tion and an outrageous fraud. But the ignorant Kussian 
peasants, fanatical in proportion to their blindness, and the 
equally superstitious Syrians still believe the fire to come 
down from heaven. And so long as they remain in ignorance, 
just so long will this imposition be practiced upon them by 
the cupidity of the priests, who, knowing better, yet engage 
in this mockery to induce pilgrims from Russia to come to 
Jerusalem that they may reap a golden harvest from their 
lack of knowledge. 

Annually many thousands of these ignorant Russians 
visit Jerusalem, in order to be present at the descent of the 
holy fire. They are poor, degraded and, as may well be in- 
ferred, stolidly ignorant. They wear the heavy woolen cloth- 
ing which is necessary to keep them warm in their northern 
home, and they cling to it under the hot sun of Palestine. 
To witness the veneration of these poor, deluded people, and 
then to know that it is through cupidity and priestcraft that 
they are induced to come here, is to give one a low opinion 
of the clergy who engage in this species of deception. And 
it also disgusts the traveler with the so-called holy places. 
So we felt, and we did not care again to visit any of them. 
But while this feeling came to us, caused by the cloud of 
doubt that hangs over these spots, and the unreasoning su- 
perstition of the pilgrims, yet these are only "mere specks 
in the clear light which invests the general geography of 
Palestine. Not only are the sites of Jerusalem, Nazareth 
and Bethlehem absolutely indisputable, but there is hardly a 

37 



294 



LETTERS EROM BIBLE LANDS. 



town or village of note mentioned in the Old or New Testa- 
ment which cannot still be identified with a certainty which 
often extends to the very spots which are signalized in its 
history." 

And this is enough for us. God, no doubt, has wisely 
hidden from the world spots that would come to assume a 
sacredness to the children of men, as in the case of the bur 
ial-place of Moses. The Jews wo aid, no doubt, have wor- 
shiped the last resting place of their great leader, had they 
known where it was. The great calamity that swept over 
Jerusalem during the first century (its destruction by Titus) 
completely obliterated many places that would have been 
held sacred by Christians, but it is better that they were de- 
stroyed, the tendency, as we have abundant evidence here, 
being to worship as well as revere the holy places. But we 
have left us the Holy City, the Mount of Olives, the Sea of 
Galilee, the Jordan, the hills, the trees and flowers, and see- 
ing these, not with any desire to worship them, yet looking 
from them up to Him who walked here Himself, among the 
children of men, we, in the fullness of our hearts, thank him, 
that we have these and that we have the privilege of seeing 
them. 




LETTER X. 



The Jews' Wailing Place— Robin son's and Wilson's Arch- 
es—David's Tomb— Around the City Walls. 

|1i1|fter our long walk we were all tired and hungry, and 
Jill full justice was done to the excellent dinner prepared 
^M^ e for us at the hotel. After dinner we enjoyed a short 
rest and then started out again with our guide and interpret- 
er to visit further places of interest. 

Passing down David Street, we go again directly to the 
old walls of the temple area. On the way we pass an oil 
mill. A large, flat stone is laid on a raised platform. A cir- 
cular stone, something like a large grindstone, is rolled 
around upon the flat surface of the nether stone, reducing 
the sesame, from which the oil was being made, to a pulpy, 
greasy mass, after which the oil was pressed out of it. A 
camel supplied the motive power. 

Going westward on the street, we came to a narrow, 
crooked lane or alley, leading down a slight declivity ; follow- 
ing this winding way, we came, at last, to that part of the 
ancient walls of the Haram known for centuries as the "J ews' 
Wailing Place." This particular portion of the wall, held 
so sacred by the chosen people of God, is about 156 feet long 
and 56 feet high. The huge blocks of stone composing the 
nine lower courses of the wall are undoubtedly very ancient, 
and it is believed that some of them were put in place by 
Solomon's workmen. Some of the largest measure sixteen 
feet in length and four feet in thickness and about the same 
in width. On top of these are fifteen courses of stones, 
much smaller and of a later period. The Jews regard this 



296 LETTEBS EKOM BIBLE LANDS. 

wall as a part of their wise king's workmanship. Hence the 
reverential feelings with which they regard it. As we came 
near the spot, we needed no one to tell us that here was the 
place of wailing; for, before we came in sight of it, our ears 
were greeted with a sad, moaning sound, uttered, apparently, 
by persons in the greatest distress. Turning a corner, we 
came at once upon a scene calculated to arouse the sympa- 
thies of the hardest heart. 




JEWS' WAILING PLACE. 

Here was a mixed multitude of Jews, old men and wom- 
en, young men and maidens; some standing with their faces 
to the wall, with outstretched arms, as if embracing it; some 



THE JEWS' WAILING PLACE. 



297 



sitting and others kneeling on the ground, kissing the hard, 
cold stones, and all moaning and bewailing, in the saddest 
tones imaginable, the destruction of Jerusalem and the down- 
fall of their beloved Zion. Here were venerable looking old 
men, the patriarchs of Israel, with full grey beards, impress- 
ing one with the dignity of their bearing, over whose aged 
cheeks the tears of sorrow were falling, as they, with intense 
fervor, implored the God of their fathers to restore the scep- 
ter again to the house of J udah. 

Here, too, were the mothers of Israel, old women, de- 
crepit, bent and deformed by age, who, dragging themselves 
to this holy place, add lamentation to lamentation and shed 
bitter tears of grief over the beautiful house of the Lord, 
which now lies desolate and is defiled by infidels. Young 
men and maidens, the pride of the Jews, are here, too, with 
tear-stained cheeks and with sad faces, kneeling reverently, 
and kissing the stones, as they call upon the Lord of hosts 
to avenge their wrongs, to drive out the usurpers and to re- 
store again the throne of David. It is a sad spectacle, and, 
once seen, will never be forgotten. 

As we stood amidst this mourning assembly, watching 
the mourners and seeing how real and heart-felt was their 
grief and how earnestly they prayed, our eyes, too, were 
moistened with tears of sympathy and we wept with those 
who were weeping. Standing here in the shadow of the 
great wall in the holy city, witnessing the singular faith and 
zeal of these people, we wondered how long it would be un- 
til the time of the Gentiles would be fulfilled, and God would 
again restore the remnant of his chosen people. 

This custom of wailing has prevailed among the Jews 
for many centuries. Jerome speaks of the Jews paying the 
Koman soldiers for the privilege of having a wailing place. 
The Mohammedans, also, formerly charged them for this 



298 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



privilege, but now it is free to them. Here, every day in the 
week, may be seen these singular people, manifesting, in this 
way, their faith in the re-establishment of the throne of Da- 
vid. On Friday or feast days the place is usually crowded 
with them. The following beautiful words are chanted in 
the most sad and mournful tones: 

"For the palace that lies desolate, we 
Sit in solitude and mourn 
For the palace which is deserted, 
For the walls that are overthrown; 
For our majesty which is departed, 
For our great men who lie dead, 

For the precious stones of the temple that are burned, 
For the priests who have stumbled and gone astray, 
For our kings who have despised Him, 
We sit alone in solitude and weep." 

And then comes the following prayer: 

"We beseech Thee, have mercy on Zion, 
And gather the children of Jerusalem; 
Make'speed, make speed, O Deliverer of Zion, 
Speak after the heart of Jerusalem; 
Haste, haste, O Kedeemer of Zion, 
Restore again the throne of David; 
May beauty and majesty surround Zion. 
Ah! turn thyself mercifully to Jerusalem; 
May the kingdom soon return to Zion; 
Comfort those who mourn over Jerusalem; 
May peace and joy abide with Zion, 
And the branch of Jesse spring up at Jerusalem." 

This language is devotional and impressive and it serves to 
show how these Jews are hoping and faithfully looking for 
the coming of their deliverer. 

As we turned away from the wailing place, the muezzin's 
voice rang out shrill and clear from the minaret of the 
Mosque of Omar, calling the faithful Moslems to prayer. It 
was a singular coincidence and impressed us greatly. We 
had just heard the oppressed Jews wailing over their hard 

* ... • ' 



ROBINSON'S ARCH. 

fate and imploring the God of their fathers to drive out the , 
heathen and to restore to them again the land of their inher- 
itance. And now we hear, almost at the same instant, the 
call of the oppressor, proceeding from the very spot where 
stood, in the olden time, the house of the Lord— summoning 
the followers of the false prophet to their afternoon devo- 
tions. 

The question is often asked, "Are there, at the present 
time, any indications of the fulfillment of the prophecy in 
regard to the restoration of the Jews, and are the Jews gath- 
ering at Jerusalem ? " At the present time, the number of 
Jews at Jerusalem is placed at about ten thousand and there 
does not appear to be any rapid increase of their numbers. 
The faith of the Jews themselves, however, in the prophecy 
and their zeal manifested in the incidents here described, im- 
pressed us as a strong indication of the fulfillment of proph- 
ecy. 

Robinson's Arch. 

From the place of wailing we pass through a miserable, 
dirty quarter of the city, and reach a large, open space, part- 
ly covered with cactus hedges and weeds. To the right is 
the slope of the Tyropean Valley, now filled with rubbish, 
and to the left the area wall of the temple, which we now 
approach again. At this point the wall is fifty-eight feet 
high and here are to be seen some of the largest stones in 
the structure. The colossal blocks of granite are, some of 
them, from twenty-six to thirty-two feet long and two and 
one-half feet high. One at the corner, which we measured, 
was twenty-eight feet long. This is the south wall of the 
platform, and about forty feet from the corner we come to 
Kobinson's Arch, named after the eminent American traveler 
and explorer who discovered it. After completing the tem- 
ple, Solomon built an arched bridge from Mt. Moriah to Mt. 



300 LETTEES FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

Zion, where, according to Captain Warren, the king's house 
stood. By means of this bridge, which spanned the Tyrope- 
an Valley, Solomon was enabled to reach the temple without 
going down into the valley and then ascending the steep 
sides of the temple-crowned mountain. The arched bridge 
had fallen down centuries ago and was covered up by the ac- 
cumulated rubbish of thousands of years. 

In his explorations, Eobinson discovered the spring of 
an arch projecting from the wall near what is now the level 
of the ground. It is about fifty feet wide and contains sev- 
eral large stones, measuring nineteen to twenty-six feet in 
length. Our illustration shows the arch, or rather the spring 
of the arch, very plainly, the Haram wall and also Captain 
Warren's method of raising the rubbish from one of his 
excavations of what was a large arch. Dr. Eobinson at 
once concluded that here was the foundation of one end of 
an arch which had been thrown across the valley, the other 
end resting on Ml Zion, 300 feet away. The correctness of 
this conclusion remained a disputed fact for some time. At 
length Captain Warren made a number of excavations imme- 
diately under the spring of the arch and at a depth of twen- 
ty-one feet beneath the surface of the ground and rubbish, 
he discovered a pavement of what was once a street in the 
city, dating back, probably, to the time of Christ. On the 
pavement were found the vault stones of the arch of the 
bridge, where they had fallen many centuries ago and had 
been covered by the rubbish. The shaft was sunk to a fur- 
ther depth of twenty-three, or forty-four feet below the pres- 
ent surface, when the explorers came upon the rock and here 
was found another street and the remains of an older bridge 
which was, without doubt, built by Solomon. 

These discoveries showed that Eobinson was correct in 
his inference, and that, without doubt, the Hill of Zion and 



wilson's arch. 



303 



Ml Moriah were, in Solomon's time, connected by a bridge. 
This bridge had been destroyed and covered np with twenty- 
three feet of rubbish. Then, in Herod's time, he also built 
an arched bridge on the foundation of the old one which 
stood in the time of our Savior, and that, too, was thrown 
down and now lies twenty-one feet beneath the present sur- 
face of the ground. 

Many other excavations were made along the wall on the 
west side, and it was found that the rock lies fifty-seven feet 
below the surface. The whole of the great wall on the west 
side was at one time visible, rising from its foundations to a 
height of over one hundred feet, but the accumulated rub- 
bish of the passing centuries that have gone by since the 
lower stones were put in their places by Solomon's masons, 
has filled up the valley from forty to eighty feet and at the 
present time only fifty-eight feet of the huge wall are visi- 
ble. 

We next examine Wilson's Arch, which is only a short 
distance from the wailing place and appears to be a continu- 
ation of the same wall. Here is one of the gates of the Ha- 
ram, called Bab-es-Silseleh, or Gate of the Chain. The gate 
stands on a large arch of a bridge named after Major Wilson, 
who discovered it. It is well preserved, is twenty-one feet 
high and has a span of forty-two feet. We took a number 
of lighted candles and went down under the arch. It is com- 
posed of twenty courses of stone, twelve courses on either 
side of the key-stone. The stones are large and nicely Cut 
and adjusted to their places. The perfection of the work is 
the wonder and admiration of all visitors. It was probably 
built by Herod the Great. The illustration gives an excel- 
lent view of this massive substructure. The huge blocks of 
stone are distinctly shown, as well as the peculiar beveled 
edges, which are distinct marks of ancient masonry. 

* 38 



304 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

From the walls of the Haram we go to Mount Zion. On 
the ridge of the summit, where the wall passes over it, is Da- 
vid's Gate. This was the highest point within the walls of 
the city. This height was strongly fortified and held by the 
Jebusites until David took it by storm. 

Just outside of Zion's Gate and a little to the south of 
it, is David's Tomb. It seems to be well established that 
here is the burial place of the Psalmist. Mount Zion, or the 
City of David, the two terms applying to the same place, was 
the burial place of the kings of Judah. It is said of them 
that they slept with their fathers and were buried in the city 
of David. 1 Kings 11: 43. Nehemiah 3: 16 places David's 
sepulchre near to or opposite a certain pool and it stands ex- 
actly over against the lower Gihon. The apostles evidently 
were aware of the site of David's Tomb and they place it in 
Jerusalem. Peter refers to it in this language: "Men and 
brethren, let me freely speak to you of the patriarch David, 
that he is both dead and buried and his sepulchre is with us 
unto this day." 

By paying a fee to the Moslem custodian, we were ad- 
mitted to the building containing the tomb and also the tra- 
ditional room where our Savior ate the last supper with his 
disciples. The ceiling consists of the pointed vaulting in 
use* in the earlier centuries. The place is even pointed out 
where the table of the Lord stood. In a side room is shown 
a coffin, said to be a model of the sarcophagus which, it is 
claimed, still exists in the vaulted tombs beneath this spot. 
No one except Moslems are allowed to enter the tomb below. 
The daughter of Dr. Barclay was fortunate enough to be se- 
cretly admitted into the tomb by a Moslem lady whose confi- 
dence she had won. She describes it as follows: 

"The room is insignificant in its dimensions, but it is 
furnished very gorgeously. The tomb is apparently an im- 



OUTSIDE THE CITY WALLS. 305 

mense sarcophagus of rough stone, and is covered by green 
satin tapestry, richly embroidered with gold. To this a piece 
of black velvet is attached, with a few inscriptions from the 
Koran embroidered al'so in gold. A satin canopy of reel, 
blue, green and yellow stripes hangs over the tomb; and an- 
other piece of black velvet tapestry, embroidered in silver, 
covers a door in one end of the room, which; they said, leads 
to a cave underneath. Two tall candlesticks stand before 
this door, and a little lamp hangs in a window near it, which 
is kept constantly burning, and whose wick, though saturated 
with olive oil — and I dare say a most nauseous dose — my de- 
votional companion eagerly swallowed, muttering to herself 
a prayer, with many genuflections. She then, in addition to 
their usual form of prayer, prostrated herself before the 
tomb, raising the covering, pressing her forehead to the 
stone, and then kissing it many times. 

" The ceiling of the room is vaulted, and the walls cov- 
ered with blue porcelain in floral figures. Having remained 
here an hour, and completed my sketch, we left; and great 
was my rejoicing when I found myself once more at home, 
out of danger, and, still better, out of my awkward costume." 

From David's tomb we go back again into the city 
through Zion's Gate, and traversing Zion Street north to Da- 
vid's Tower, we go out of the Jaffa Gate for a walk 

Outside the Walls of Jerusalem. 

The present walls are about two and a half miles in cir- 
cumference. Josephus gives the length of the walls in his 
time as thirty-two furlongs, or four miles, so that the ancient 
city was much larger than the modern one. Our walk takes 
us along the western side of the city in a southerly direction. 
By a gradual descent we enter the Yalley of Gihon, which 
changes its name, as it turns eastward, to that of the Valley 



306 



LETTEES FEOM BIBLE LANDS. 



of Hiimom. It was in the Yalley of Gihon that Solomon 
was crowned king of Israel. This occurred when David was 
advanced in years, and his son Adonijah attempted to usurp 
the throne. It was there that David proclaimed Solomon 
king in his stead. He said to Zadok the priest and Nathan 
the prophet, "Take with you the servants of your lord and 
cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule and bring 
him down to Gihon: and let Zadok the priest and Nathan the 
prophet anoint him there king over Israel; and blow ye with 
the trumpet and say, God save king Solomon." 1 Kings 1: 33, 
34 

On this side of the city, Mount Zion descends steeply in- 
to the Yalley of Hiimom and the slope is covered with fields 
of growing barley. Many centuries ago, when Zion was cov- 
ered with many buildings and the city of Jerusalem was 
large and prosperous, the prophet Micah said, " Therefore, 
for your sake shall Zion be plowed as a field." The prophe- 
cy is literally fulfilled, as the grain fields to-day abundantly 
prove. 

Passing down the valley we come to the Birket-es-Sultan 
or Lower Pool of Gihon, of which we shall have more to say 
further on, and then, turning east, we enter the Yalley of 
Hiimom. Keeping close to the city walls, we pass down this 
narrow, rocky ravine which separates Mt. Zion, to the north, 
from the Hill of Evil Counsel and the Plain of Eephraim on 
the south, until it forms a junction with the Yalley of J e- 
hoshaphat, to the south-east of the city. The Yalley of Hin- 
nom was the boundary between Judah and Benjamin and is 
thus referred to in Joshua 18: 16. "And the border came 
down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley 
of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of the gi- 
ants on the north and descended to the valley of Hinnom to 
the side of Jebusi on the south and descended to En-rogel." 



job's well, etc. 307 

This En-rogel is a short distance from the junction of 
the two valleys, Hinnom and Jehoshaphat, and is known at 
the present time as Job's Well— Arabian name, Bir Eyyub. 
The well is 123 feet deep and is lined with solid masonry. 
By the side of the well are stone troughs for cattle. The wa- 
ter varies in depth. Sometimes, during the rainy season, it 
overflows and forms a regular brook, flowing down and join- 
ing the brook of Kidron. "A most interesting historical 
fact is that we are here standing on the brink of the well of 
En-rogel (Fuller's Spring), mentioned in Joshua 15: 7, as 
part of the boundary line between Benjamin and Juclah." 
Here Jonathan and Ahimaaz waited for intelligence to con- 
vey to David when Absalom rebelled against him, and they 
escaped capture by going down into a well. 2 Sam. 17 : 17. 
Here, too, Adonijah, when he "exalted himself, saying, I will 
be king," prepared a feast for his friends. "And Adonijah 
slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, 
which is by En-rogel, and called all his brethren, the king's 
sons, and all the men of Juclah, the king's servants." 1 Kings 
1: 9. 

We return again to the Valley of Hinnom and give some 
further account of it. It was in this valley that the terrible 
rites of the worship of the fire god, Molech, were celebrated. 
Solomon himself, when he was old and his heart turned after 
strange gods, built an altar to, and an high place "for Che- 
mosh, the abomination of Moab, and for Molech, the abomi- 
nation of the children of Amnion." 1 Kings 11: 7. Here 
infants were sacrificed or made to pass through the fire, and 
the idolatrous kings Ahaz and Manasseh did not even spare 
their own sons, " but made them pass through the fire accord- 
ing to the abomination of the heathen." 2 Kings 16: 3. 
The righteous king Josiah, full of wrath on account of these 
horrible, idolatrous practices, and of zeal for the law of God, 



308 



LETTERS FKOM BIBLE LANDS. 



put down the worship of Molech and the sacrifices of infants 
with a strong hand, and since his time they have never been 
revived. "And he defiled Tapheth (place of fire), which is 
in the Yalley of the Children of Hinnom, that no man might 
make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Mo- 
lech." 2 Kings 23: 10. So odious did the place become on 
account of these idolatrous practices and of the pollutions 
to which Josiah subjected it, making of it a common cess- 
pool, that it took the name of Gehenna, and became a symbol 
of eternal punishment. 

At the eastern end of the valley, on the southern slope 
of the Hill of Evil Counsel, is pointed out the Aceldama, or 
"Field of Blood." The tradition that this is the piece of 
ground bought with the thirty pieces of silver, for which Ju- 
das betrayed his Master, is not authenticated by historical 
evidence. A number of tombs are hewn into the solid rock 
of the hill-side, some of them having beautifully decorated 
entrances, and some of them bear inscriptions. 

The Hill of Evil Counsel is so called from a tradition 
that here stood the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, and 
that here he met the Jews when they took counsel how they 
might put to death our Savior. 

Bartlett, in his "Walks About Jerusalem," says of the 
Yalley of Hinnom: "There is something in the scenery of 
this valley and the hill above it; its tombs hewn in the rock, 
long since tenantless; the grey glome of the old fig and olive 
trees starting from the fissures of the crags; the overhanging 
wall of Zion, desolate almost as in the time of her captivity, 
that forcibly recalls the wild and mournful grandeur of the 
prophetic writings. Within it, too, is the traditionary Acel- 
dama, or Field of Blood, of the traitor Judas; a small plot of 
ground, overhung with one precipice and looking down an- 
other into the glen below, on which is a deep charnel-house, 



ABUSIVE MOHAMMEDANS. 309 

into which it was formerly the custom to throw the bodies of 
the dead, as the earth was supposed to have the power of 
rapidly consuming them. The place was selected as the bur- 
ial place of pilgrims who died at Jerusalem in the Middle 
Ages. Such are the scenes that have passed in Hinnom; it 
is like the scroll of the prophet, written within and without 
with mournings, lamentation and woe." 

We climbed up the rugged hill-side, leaving the valley, 
with its graves of twenty-five centuries, filled by a hundred 
generations, and reached the eastern wall of the city, over- 
looking the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Along this wall is a 
Moslem cemetery. The graves are covered with flat stones 
or masonry about two feet high. They make a convenient 
seat, as we found. Being weary by our long walk, we sat 
down on one of these to take a rest. We had been sitting 
only a few minutes when we were ordered to get up by some 
Mohammedans who were passing by. Our interpreter told 
us that they said they did not propose to have the graves of 
their friends desecrated by Christian dogs. 

On the eastern side of the wall is the Golden Gate, and 
a little farther to the north is St. Stephen's Gate, named aft- 
er the first Christian martyr. The view from this gate is a 
remarkably fine one. Looking to the east, we have the 
Mount of Olives, with the Garden of Gethsemane at its foot. 
The Tomb of Absalom and of Zechariah are both in view. 
Olivet stretches north and south, completely intercepting the 
eastern view. Its slopes are covered with olive trees and the 
road to Bethany can be clearly traced. Its highest summit, 
the middle one, contains the Church of Ascension. 

To our left, close by the wall, is a large reservoir called 
the Bath of Our Lady. Here the people come to draw water 
and bathe. To our right, close up to the wall of the city, is 
a Mohammedan cemetery, which covers a large part of the 



310 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

eastern side of Moriali. We now pass around the north-east 
corner of the walls and continue our walk towards the J affa 
gate. On the way we pass the huge subterranean quarries, 
whence, it is supposed, Solomon's workmen cut many of 
the stones used in the construction of - the temple. The en- 
trance to these immense subterranean caverns is close by the 
Damascus Gate. After entering through a small hole in the 
face of the rock, "a vast succession of mighty aisles and 
mammoth chambers is reached, and the traveler can jour- 
ney on through cavern after cavern and aisle after aisle, till 
he seems to have gone the entire length and breadth of the 
city." 

It is not known how far these quarries extend, as they 
have never been fully explored, but enough is known about 
them to give some idea of their vastness. The rocky roof is 
supported by huge pillars. The marks of the chisel can be 
distinctly traced, and niches for the lamps of the quarry-men 
are still to be seen. Many beautiful passages have been 
written by travelers who have visited and explored these dark 
caverns, one of which we give: 

" There was a strange feeling of awe in walking through 
these subterranean caverns, for there in the rock we could 
make out the marks of chisellings, just as they were left cen- 
turies and centuries ago. There was the hole where once a 
spring of water trickled, and at which the weary workmen 
slaked their thirst; there were the niches for the lamps of the 
quarry-men, and there were huge blocks, partially cut from 
the rocks, and pillars partially shaped and left unfinished. 
And for ages and ages the darkness and silence have dwelt 
together in these dreary caverns, while overhead, in the city, 
generations have come and gone; its streets have been delug- 
ed with blood, and its glories have been leveled with the 
dust. And here silence and darkness dwelt when the cry of 

/ 



THE GATES OF THE CITY, ETC. 313 

< Crucify him, crucify him!' rang through the busy streets 
above, and a shudder ran through these gloomy regions when 
the cry went forth, 'It is finished!' and a great earthquake 
shook the solid earth, while darkness enfolded the land." 

The Damascus Gate is the finest in the city, and from 
this point we continue our walk around the walls to the Jaffa 
Gate. On the way we meet a shepherd leading his flock, for 
here the flocks are led and not driven, and the sheep know 
the voice of the shepherd and follow wherever he leads. The 
shepherd led this flock up a steep hill-side to a green pasture, 
and the words of our Savior came to our minds, for he must 
have had a scene of this kind in view when he uttered these 
words: "And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth 
before them and the sheep follow him; for they know his 
voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from 
him: for they know not the voice of strangers." John 10: 
4,5. 

North of the Jaffa Gate are the Eussian buildings, con- 
taining a good hospital, schools, a cathedral and lodgings for 
thousands of pilgrims. These buildings belong to the Greek 
church. Near here is pointed out the place where Christ 
raised the damsel from the dead. Mark 5: 41. Here are 
two benevolent institutions,— orphanages for boys and girls. 
A short distance from the Jaffa Gate is the Upper Pool of 
Gihon. We have now walked round about Zion. The dis- 
tance, as before stated, is about two and a half miles, but al- 
lowing for extra walking to look at objects of interest, we 
must have walked double that distance. 



LETTER XI 



The Pools -The Water Supply of Jerusalem— Tlie Tombs 
4 of the Kings. 

l||pHE city of Jerusalem depends for its supply of water 
||||| upon a number of artificial reservoirs, constructed for 
^z\t^ storing large quantities of water, and the many cis- 
terns to be found in every part of the city. Nearly every 
house has at least one, and some of them as many as four 
cisterns beneath them, into which the rain-water from the 
roofs and courts is carried, and kept for use during the dry 
season when the rains do not fall. The water, for the most 
part, is not good, as many of the cisterns are very dirty and 
filthy. 

In ancient times, so great was the population of J erusa- 
lein that immense reservoirs or pools, as they were called, 
were constructed, into which the surface drainage, as well as 
the waters of springs and fountains, were collected and kept 
for use, and we may form some idea of the number of the 
inhabitants of the olden city, when we see the number and 
extent of these pools. Most of them are not now used, some 
are in ruins whilst others, having withstood the ravages of 
time, are yet in a good state of preservation, although they 
were, without doubt, constructed many centuries before the 
beginning of the present era. 

Solomon's Pools. 
These pools, although some eight miles distant from the 
city, entered into the system of water-works constructed at 
great cost, by the ancient Jews, so that Jerusalem might 
have an unfailing supply of water. A conduit, or aqueduct, 



Solomon's pools. 315 

connected the fountains of these enormous ponds with the 
Haram, and the water was used to supply the temple. They 
are situated about two miles south-west of Bethlehem, in a 
valley called Urtas. It slopes rapidly to the east, and the 
pools are built nearly one above another on the abrupt rise 
of the valley. 

The name Solomon's pools is based upon Eccl. 2: 4-6. 
"I made great works; I buildecl me houses; I planted me 
vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted 
trees in them of all kinds of fruits: I made* me pools of wa- 
ter to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees." 
But we can better understand something of their extent, and 
of the vast amount of labor employed in their construction, 
by giving the following dimensions from Dr. Eobinson: The 
highest or upper pool is 380 feet long, 229 feet wide, and 25 
feet deep in the middle. The middle or central pool lies 
about 50 yards below the upper one, and is 423 feet long, 
250 feet wide at the east end, 160 feet at the west end (ow- 
ing to the narrowing of the valley) and is 39 feet deep. 
The lower pool, and the largest of the three, is about 80 
yards below the central one, and is 582 feet long, 207 feet 
wide at the east end, and 148 feet at the west end. Dr. 
Thompson says: "The proportions of this lower pool of Solo- 
mon are truly royal; nearly 600 feet long, 200 feet wide and 
50 feet deep. "When full, it could float the largest ship on 
on the ocean." 

Mr. McGarvey visited these pools in 1879, and, accord- 
ing to his calculation, the aggregate surface of the three pools 
is about six and one-fourth acres; this, he observes, would 
make a sheet of water, or a lake, six and one-fourth acres in 
extent, with an average depth of thirty-eight feet. The walls 
are very strongly built, and are covered, on the inside, with a 
heavy coating of cement, and, notwithstanding the lapse of 



316 LETTEBS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

many centuries that have come and gone since they were 
constructed, they are yet in an excellent state of preserva- 
tion. Both Mr. McGarvey and Dr. Robinson incline to the 
opinion that these pools are almost certainly the work of Sol- 
omon. In that case it was on the neighboring hills, and in 
the valleys to the east and north of the pools, that Solomon 
must have planted the vineyards, the orchards, and made the 
gardens of all kinds of fruit. These pools supplied the wa- 
ter for irrigating purposes. The soil in the valleys is very 
fertile, and, with plenty of water, all of them round about 
would bloom like a garden. 

The water supply for the pools is found in several foun- 
tains or springs, the waters of which are carried by arched 
water courses into the pools. Mr. McGarvey calls attention 
to the fact (overlooked by most writers) that the conduit, by 
which the water was carried to Jerusalem, is connected with 
these fountains and not with the pools, as has been suppos- 
ed; thus showing clearly that the object of the builder of 
these great reservoirs, was to store water for the purpose of 
irrigation. In addition to the water collected from the fount- 
ains, a great amount of water must have been secured from 
surface drainage. During the rainy season, the hill-sides 
poured their waters down into the valley, which, like a huge 
gutter, emptied them into ponds below. 

The conduit or aqueduct for carrying the water to Jerusa- 
lem, was constructed by cutting a bench around the sides of 
hills for it. Then flat stones were laid down, forming a foun- 
dation. On them the earthen pipes, eight inches in diame- 
ter, were laid, their ends fitting into one another, and were 
made perfectly tight by cement. The pipes were then cov- 
ered with rough stones laid in cement. The conduit still 
carries water as far as Bethlehem, where it is used by the 
public. As we rode from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, we could 



TH3E LOWER POOL OF GIHON. 317 

trace the course of the aqueduct quite plainly. In many 
places the earthen water pipes are only slightly covered 
with stones. That portion of the conduit between the two 
last-named cities, has not been used for a number of years. 

For many centuries these remarkable cisterns construct- 
ed by Israel's wise king, were entirely lost to human knowl- 
edge, and were not known to exist. They were only discov- 
ered 'in comparatively recent times, by pilgrims to the Holy 
Land. 

The Birket es Sultan, or Lower Pool of Gihon. 
This immense reservoir or basin lies to the west of J erusa- 
lem, in the Yalley of Gihon, and so close to the city that the 
ancient walls of Zion must have overlooked the waters of 
the pool. It was formed by building two walls across the 
yalley from east to west, 526 feet apart. The intervening 
space was excavated to the rocky sides of the valley, these 
forming the side walls of the imposing structure. Mr. Mc- 
Garvey, in his excellent work on the Lands of the Bible, 
says: "The southern wall of the pool is 275 feet long, and is 
built in the solid rock of the valley, which slopes down grad- 
ually from each side. From the top of the wall in the mid- 
dle to the rock in the bottom of the valley is fifty feet. * * 
* The thickness of the wall at the top is twenty-five feet, 
but on the lower side, it is strengthened by buttresses twen- 
ty-five feet long and twenty-three feet wide. In this part, 
where the pressure of the water was greatest, the entire 
thickness of the wall is forty-eight feet and at the bottom 
fifty-seven and one-half feet. * * * The entire area of 
this pool is about three and one-half acres, with an average 
depth, when clear of deposit, of forty-two and one-half feet 
in the middle from end to end." 



318 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

These figures give us some idea of the vast extent of 
this reservoir and of the great quantity of water it would 
contain, enough, one might well suppose, to supply the wants 
of the city. On the top of the southern wall was laid the 
aqueduct which conveyed the water from Solomon's Pools to 
the city. The interior of the walls was coated with cement 
and was made water-tight. The northern wall has fallen to 
ruins and the bottom of the pool is covered to some depth 
with deposits of dirt and rubbish. During the rainy season, 
the surface drainage from the sides of the valley would pour 
into the pool over the upper wall something like the waters 
running over a mill-dam. This pool belongs to the ancient 
Jewish period and is, perhaps, referred to in the Bible in 
Isaiah 22: 9: "And ye gathered together the waters of the 
lower pool." In 1 Kings, 1st chapter, it is said that Hezeki- 
ah "stopped the upper water course of Gihon and brought it 
straight down to the west side of the city of David." 

North of the lower pool and about 750 yards due west of 
the Jaffa Gate, is situated the upper pool of Gihon, called by 
the Arabs Birket el Mamilla. It is, according to Baedeker, 
316 feet long from north to south and 194 feet wide, with an 
average depth of nineteen feet. It lies in the midst of a 
Moslem burial ground and receives the surface drainage from 
a considerable slope of the receding hills. The walls are 
crumbling and the cement is falling off. It is connected with 
the pool of Hezekiah, before referred to, by a conduit, so 
that its waters could be drained into the latter reservoir. 
Reference is made to it in 2 Kings 18: 17: "And when they 
were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the up- 
per pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's field." The 
conduit comes to the surface near the Jaffa Gate, and here, 
no doubt, is the point to which reference is made in the pass- 
age of Scripture just quoted. 



hezekiah's pool, etc. 319 
Hezekiah's Pool. 

This pool lies within the city wall and is situated a short 
distance east of the Jaffa Gate, in an angle formed by David 
and Christian Streets. It is entirely surrounded by houses, 
and the walls of the buildings are a continuation of the walls 
of the reservoir. The Mediterranean Hotel stands near the 
pool, and the best view of it is to be had from the flat roof 
of this hostelry. We obtained a view of it from one of the 
windows of the hotel. The people who live in the houses 
surrounding the pool get water out of it by means of ropes 
and pails. It is 240 feet long, 144 feet wide and ten feet 
deep. The water is used by the natives for bathing and 
washing clothing, but, judging from its appearance, we 
should not like to use it for either purpose. It also supplies 
a public bath on Christian Street, called the Patriarchs' 
Bath. As before stated, it receives its supply of water from 
the upper pool of Gihon. 

The pool receives its name from King Hezekiah, by 
whom it is supposed to have been built. It is, no doubt, re- 
ferred to in the following words, taken from 2 Kings 20: 20: 
"And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, 
and how he made a pool and a conduit, and brought water 
into the city, are they not written in the book of the chroni- 
cles of the kings of Juclah?" 

At the north end of the Haram or Temple Platform lies 
the Birket Isra-el, which was supposed, for a long time, to be 
the Pool of Bethesda. Dr. Eobinson first pointed out the 
difficulties in the way of accepting this as the Pool of Be- 
thesda of John 5: 4. "Now there is at Jerusalem by the 
sheep market a pool, which is called, in the Hebrew tongue, 
Bethesda, having five porches." It is now generally conced- 
ed that the pool of the Virgin Mary answers best the de- 
scription of the true Bethesda. 



320 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

When we enter the field of controversy regarding the 
location of many of the so-called holy places in and about 
Jerusalem, we are lost in a maze of argument. Some au- 
thors insist upon what appears to them to be incontroverti- 
ble proof that their position in regard to certain localities is 
the correct one, whilst others, with much ability and show of 
reason, maintain that the first are most certainly wrong. In 
many cases, we are of the opinion that the truth of either 
position cannot be known. Some questions can be authori- 
tatively settled by exploration and excavation, but, for the 
most part, the true location of many of the places referred 
to in the Bible must remain in doubt, and this is true of the 
Pool of Bethesda. The reservoir so long accepted as the 
true Bethesda is built in a natural valley that leads into the 
Tyropean. We have referred to it in a former letter. 

The Pool of Siloam, 
Called by the Arabs Ain Silwan, is found at the outlet 
of the Tyropean Yalley, near the foot of Ophel. Anciently, 
it was inside of the city walls. No controversy has ever aris- 
en as to this pool, and it is accepted as the Siloam of the 
New Testament. 'When he had thus spoken he spat on the 
ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the 
eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said unto him, Go, 
wash in the pool of Siloam." John 9: 6, 7. The fact that Jo- 
sephus locates a pool of the same name at the same place oc- 
cupied by the one at which we are now standing, leaves no 
doubt that it was to these waters that our Savior sent the 
blind man to wash. " Now the valley of the Cheesemongers 
(Tyropean Yalley), as it was called, and was that which, we 
told you before, distinguished the hill of the upper city from 
that of the lower, extended as far as Siloam; for that is the 
name of a fountain which hath sweet water in it and that in 



THE VIRGIN'S FOUNTAIN. 



321 



great plenty also." — Josephus' Wars of the Jeics, Book V., 
Chap. 4, Sec. 1. 

The pool is fifty-two feet long, eighteen feet wide and 
about eighteen and a half feet deep. In its centre stands a 
broken column and at the south-west corner a flight of stone 
steps affords a descent into it. A number of Arab boys«svere 
bathing in it when we visited it, and we declined tasting its 
water. Bsedeker, however, says the water is generally more 
or less salt to the taste, caused, perhaps, by the decomposi- 
tion of the soil through which it passes, and is, moreover, 
polluted by the washerwomen and tanners by whom it is con- 
stantly used. It is connected with the Virgin's Pool, or 
fountain, by means of a large aqueduct, and depends upon 
this source for its supply of water. The water, escaping 
from the pool, irrigates the gardens in the valley of the Kid- 
ron below, the soil of which is very fertile, as the rich and 
luxuriant vegetation to be seen there abundantly proves. 
Mr. McGarvey suggests that this pool would have been an 
excellent place in which to perform the ordinance of baptism. 
He says that "Mr. El Kary, a Baptist missionary in Shech- 
em, informed the author that he was baptized in it twenty- 
five years ago." It is sometimes said that there was not 
enough water at Jerusalem to baptize by immersion when 
our Savior was there. Persons making statements of this 
kind are either ignorant of the facts or else they blindly per- 
vert the truth. 

The Virgin's Fountain. 

Following the Valley of Jehoshaphat southward from 
the road that crosses it, to the Mount of Olives, until we 
reach a point about a hundred yards south of the south-east 
corner of the Haram, we came to an arched opening in the 
eastern side of the Hill of Ophel, which is the entrance to 
the Fountain of the Virgin. This fountain is remarkable on 

40 



322 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

account of the fact that it has an intermittent flow of water. 
At times, the water rises to a considerable height in it and 
then recedes. Its source is unknown, but it is apparently 
supplied by a siphon-like source. Some days it flows two 
or three times, and then again it does not flow for a day or 
two at a time. The natives superstitiously attribute this to 
the power of demons. 

We went down by a flight of twenty-seven steps and 
reached the water. The fountain was flowing and the water 
was pure and clear and had a pleasant taste. It is connected, 
as before stated, with the Pool of Siloam by a large aque- 
duct. 

Ia order to prove the fact that the water of the Yirgin's 
Fountain flowed through a tunnel into the Pool of Siloam, 
Drs. Robinson and Smith crept through the tunnel and came 
out in the pool, The conduit is two feet wide, from three to 
fifteen feet high and about 1750 feet in length. Captain 
Warren, who also explored this aqueduct from the Pool of 
Siloam to the Yirgin's Fountain, thus describes his perilous 
adventure: 

" The bottom is soft silt, with a calcareous crust at the 
top, strong enough to bear the human weight, except at a 
few places, where it lets one in with a flop. Our measure- 
ments of height were taken from the top of this crust, as it 
now forms the bottom of the aqueduct; the mud silt is from 
fifteen to eighteen inches deep. We were now crawling on 
all fours and thought we were getting on very pleasantly. 
The water being only four inches deep, we were not wet 
higher than the hips. Presently, bits of cabbage stalks came 
floating by, and we suddenly awoke to the fact that the wa- 
ters were rising. The Yirgin's Fount is used as a sort of 
scullery to the Silwan village, the refuse thrown in there be- 
ing carried off down the passage each time the water rises. 



THE virgin's fountain. 323 

The rising of the waters had not been anticipated, as they 
had risen only two hours previous to our entrance. At eight 
hundred and fifty feet, the height of the channel was reduc- 
ed to one foot ten inches, and here our trouble began. The 
water was running with great violence, one foot in height; 
and we, crawling full length, were up to our necks in it. 

"I was particularly embarrassed; one hand necessarily 
wet and dirty ; the other holding a pencil, compass and field 
book; the candle, for the most part, in my mouth. Another 
fifty feet brought us to a place where we had to regularly run 
the gauntlet of the waters. The passage being only one foot 
four inches high, we had just four inches breathing space, 
and had some difficulty in twisting our necks round properly. 
When observing, my mouth was under water. At nine hun- 
dred feet, we came upon two false cuttings, one on each side 
of the aqueduct. They go in about two feet each. I could 
not discover any appearances of their being passages; if they 
are and are stopped up for any distance, it will be next to 
impossible to clear them out in such a place. J ust here I 
involuntarily swallowed a piece of my lead-pencil, nearly 
choking me for a minute or two. We were now going in a 
zigzag direction towards the north-west, and the height in- 
creased to four feet six inches, which gave us a little breath- 
ing space; but at ten hundred and fifty feet we were reduced 
to two feet and six inches, and at eleven hundred feet we 
were again crawling at a height of only one foot ten inches. 
We should have suffered more from the cold than we did, 
had not our risible faculties been excited by the sight of our 
fellah in front, plunging and puffing through the water like 
a young grampus. At eleven hundred and fifty feet, the pas- 
sage again averaged in height two feet to two feet six inches; at 
fourteen hundred we heard the same sound of water drip- 
ping as described by Captain Wilson, Dr. Barclay and oth- 



324 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

ers. I looked carefully backward and forwards, and at last 
found a fault in the rock, where the water was gurgling, but 
whether rushing in or out, I could not ascertain. At four- 
teen hundred and fifty feet, we commenced turning to the 
east, and the passage attained a height of six feet; at sixteen 
hundred and fifty-eight feet, we came upon our old friend, 
the passage leading to the Ophel shaft, and, after a further 
fifty feet, to the Virgin's Fount. Our candles were just be- 
coming exhausted, and the last three angles I could not take 
very exactly. There were fifty-seven stations of the com- 
pass. When we came out it was dark, and we had to stand 
shivering some minutes before our clothes were brought us; 
we were nearly four hours in the water. I find a difference 
of forty-two feet between my measurements and those of Dr. 
Eobinson; but if he took the length of the Virgin's Fount 
into account, we shall nearly agree. 

" The discovery of a shaft down to the water of the Vir- 
gins Fount threw considerable light upon the object of the 
rock-cut canals about Jerusalem, as proving them, as has 
been conjectured by some, to have been for conducting away 
the refuse and blood from the temple." 

There are other pools and cisterns in and around J eru- 
salem, which might be described, but this will suffice to show 
our readers that there was no lack of water in the Holy City, 
there being an abundance even for baptizing by immersion. 

The Tombs of the Kings. 

Having visited the many places of interest in the Holy 
City, and having walked around the walls thereof and noted 
well its situation, we now mount our horses for a day's ride 
and for sight-seeing outside of the city. Our horses are 
small and rather rough-looking, but we found, before getting 
through with our twenty-one days' ride over the rough and 



THE TOMBS OF THE KINGS. OAO 

hilly roads of Palestine, that they were exceedingly hardy, 
very sure-footed and of a kindly disposition. "Wife, whose 
experience at horseback riding, up to this time, has been 
limited to two attempts, feels somewhat nervous over trying 
the experiment, but she mounts her Arabian steed bravely, 
and we set forth on our first horseback ride in Palestine. 

We ricle out at the Jaffa Gate; turning east, we cross the 
road leading from the Damascus Gate; we follow a path 
north through a fine olive grove and reach, at length, the 
Tombs of the Kings, the most interesting and remarkable re- 
mains of the ancient tombs to be found in Palestine. They 
lie north of Jerusalem, about half a mile from the Damas- 
cus Gate. Dismounting and turning our horses over to the 
care of our Arab attendant, we follow our guide and are led 
down into the tombs. We first look down into a large, square 
chamber hewn in the solid rock, into which we descend by 
means of broad, high steps cut into the limestone. On the 
right of the descent is a gutter hewn into the face of the rocky 
wall of the chamber. This is used to convey the surface 
drainage into a cistern cut into the floor of the chamber. 

Beaching the bottom of the chamber, we find an arched 
passage-way cut through the wall of rock, which is here four 
and a half feet thick. This leads into another chamber, or 
open court, which, like the first, is hewn into the solid rock. 
It is ninety feet long and eighty-one feet wide and the rocky 
walls are probably fifteen feet high. At the west end of this 
court is the richly sculptured portal of the tombs, forming 
a kind of vestibule, at one end of which is the entrance to 
to the tombs, a low, narrow door- way, somewhat lower than 
the floor of the vestibule, and reached by several stone steps. 
At one side of the entrance is a large, round stone like a mill- 
' stone, and when this stone is rolled in front of the door, it 



326 



LETTEKS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



is closed up. The cut which is here given shows both the 
entrance and the rolling stone. 

Having lighted 
our candles, which 
our guide carried 
with him, and stoop- 
ing down, we enter 
the low door and 
stand inside the first 
chamber, which is 
19 feet square, hewn 
out of the solid 
rock. One gets an 
idea of strength and 
durability whilst ex- 
amining these rocky 
chambers, that he 
cannot get anywhere 
else. From this 
chamber, which was 
not used as a tomb, 
three entrances lead to the tomb chambers, and from the 
large tomb chambers are smaller rooms carefully hewn 
out, with stone benches upon which the stone sarcophagi 
or coffins were set. Altogether, there are about forty 
of these chambers, and we could not help admiring the 
skill and precision with which they were hewn out. The 
ceiling, the side walls, the floor and the benches are all 
solid stone and are cut out square in the corners; the 
marks of the chisel are yet to be seen. In one of the 
chambers is the stone lid of a coffin, highly decorated. The 
different chambers bear traces of having once been closed by 
stone doors. 




ENTRANCE TO TOMBS OF THE KINGS. 



THE TOMBS OF THE KINGS. 

The name of the Tombs comes from the supposition 
that the careful construction and extent of these catacombs 
indicates that they were used by the royal families of Jeru- 
salem. The Jews have, from a very early period, called them 
the caverns of Zedekiah. Baedeker says that it is most prob- 
able that this is the tomb of Queen Helena, which, according 
to Josephus, was located here. She was a convert to Juda- 
ism, and after the death of her husband, A. D. 48, she lived 
in Jerusalem. It is said she had twenty-four sons, hence the 
extent of the tombs. 




ANCIENT TOMBS— OPENED AND CLOSED. 



The manner of closing the tombs in ancient times is 
very plainly shown here. The round stones were rolled in 
front of the entrances, completely closing them. They were 
then sealed and made secure. As the women were coming 
Jco the tomb of the Lord, "they said among themselves, Who 
shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?" 
Mark 16: 3. And the Jews requested Pilate to make the 
sepulchre sure for three days, and they " made the sepulchre 
sure, sealing the stone and setting a watch." These passages 
of Scripture plainly indicate the method of closing the tombs 
at that time. Our cut shows two tombs, one open and the 
other closed and sealed. 

The sealing is done by stretching a cord across the stone, 
the ends of which are fastened to the rock with wax on ei- 



328 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

ther side of the cloor. In order to open it, either the string 
must be severed or the seal broken. 

Mounting our horses again and satisfying the clamor of 
the Arabs for " backsheesh," we rode back again towards the 
city. This word " backsheesh" is becoming quite familiar to 
our ears and is destined to become more so. It means, liter- 
ally, "a gift," and the traveler through Palestine hears it 
thousands of times. It is our candid belief that this is the 
first word the young Arab learns to lisp, and that he never 
forgets it as long as the breath of life remains in him. As 
we ride along the hill- side, a troop of Arab boys and girls 
come charging down upon us, yelling at the top of their 
voices, "Backsheesh! backsheesh!" The same sound wel- 
comes us into every village that we enter, and it is the last 
word wafted to us on the air as we ride away. It is heard 
not only from the children, but men and women also join in 
the cry, adding the word Howaaji, literally, "pilgrim." The 
words " Backsheesh Howaaji " sounded in our ears long after 
we left Palestine and the East, and we have this much of the 
Arabic language thoroughly learned. The Arabs are the 
most persistent beggars in the world and they do not readily 
accept a refusal. 

About one mile north-west of the tombs of the kings 
are the tombs of the Judges, but as they are inferior to the 
former, we did not visit them. 




\ 



LETTER XII. 



The Garden of Getlisemane— Mount Olivet and Betli- 
= lelieni. 



fi^feETURNiNG to the city wall from our visit to the tombs of 
lA$3 the kings and taking the road that leads down the 
side of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, we cross the stony 
bed of Kidron by an arched bridge and reach the foot of the 
Mount of Olives. The illustration given is a good one. The 
Garden of Gethsemane to the right, the Greek Chapel to the 
left and the Church of the Ascension in the centre on the 
top of the mountain. 

The day is bright and clear, the air warm and balmy and 
a gentle breeze sweeps over the hills and valleys of J udah 
and Benjamin, — just such a day as one might well select up- 
on Avhich to visit this mountain, of all the mountains in the 
world the most interesting,— a day for meditation, for thought 
and for reflection. It is a day that is indelibly stamped up- 
on our memories and one that will be the last to fade away 
when earth's memories grow dim. How many sacred events 
associate themselves with the slopes of Olivet! To visit the 
Garden of Gethsemane, where our blessed Master suffered 
in agony all alone for our sins, to tread the pathway to Beth- 
any, over which he so often walked, to the home of his friend 
Lazarus, to stand on the summit of the mount and to know 
that from some spot in sight he ascended into the clouds of 
heaven to a seat on the right hand of the Father, is to exper- 
ience feelings that come to us at no other place in this world. 

41 



332 LETTEBS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

The Mount of Olives is a high ridge running parallel 
with Mount Moriah and separated from it by the deep, nar- 
row Valley of Jehoshaphat, through which flows the Kidron. 
It has an average height of about 2600 feet above the sea. 
The top is broken into several eminences by low depressions. • 
The centre peak, or eminence, is 2637 feet above the level of 
the Mediterranean and is 196 feet higher than the temple 
area. The distance between the two places is about half a 
mile, taking the descent of the valley into account. On the 
sides of the mountain are a number of olive and fig-trees. 

After crossing over Kidron, our party dismounts; and, 
walking a few steps north of the road, we reach the Greek 
Chapel, supposed to mark the site of the tomb of the Virgin. 
The church is in a cave, or grotto, and is reached by de- 
scending a handsome flight of steps, forty-seven in num- 
ber. It is the property of the Greek Christians and is, prob- 
ably, the oldest Christian church in the world. As we en- • 
tered the chapel, the priests were performing the morning 
service and burning incense. There was a tinkling of bells 
and a chanting of the service in a kind of monotone, long- 
drawn out, that had a peculiar but not unpleasant sound. 
The room was filled with the smoke and odor of incense, 
which was almost stifling to us, and we were glad to escape 
to the fresh air above. The place is full of legends connect- 
ed with the early history of Christianity, but most of them 
are entirely unworthy of repetition. 

South of the Tomb of the Virgin is 

The Garden of Getlisemane. 

"When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with 
his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, in- 
to which he entered, and his disciples. And they came to a 
place which was named Gethsemane." John 18: 1; Luke 14: 



THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE. 006 

32. The tradition which locates the garden at this place is 
very old. Eusebius, Bishop of Csesarea, speaks of the gar- 
den as well known, and Jerome gives the same testimony. 
Many modern writers accept this as the scene of the agony. 
At the present time it is inclosed by a stone wall built by 
the Franciscan monks in 1847, and contains about one-third 
of an acre of ground. In the garden are eight very old and 
very large olive trees. Their trunks are gnarled and twisted 
and are mere shells with holes through them, showing evi- 
dence of their great age. 

We entered the garden by a door through the wall, open- 
ed by one of the monks, who was made extremely polite by 
the gift of a piece of money. We walked around its well-kept 
beds of flowers and rested under the shade of its old olive 
trees. Here we reflect, as we linger around the scene of the 
sufferings of our Lord, upon the agony of that dreadful hour. 
Here "He trod the wine-press alone; here, or, at least, not 
far from here, he endured that 'agony and bloody sweat' 
which was connected with the redemption of the world: and 
here in submission he prayed, 'O my Father, if this cup may 
not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.' "* 
Ah, who can comprehend the full significance of that hour 
of suffering? We cannot understand it, yet we do know that 
it was for our sins that he bore the heavy burden. 

" 'Tis midnight; in the garden now 
The suffering Savior prays alone. 

'Tis midnight; and from all removed, 
The Savior wrestles lone with fears; 
E'en that disciple whom he loved 
Heeds not his Master's grief and tears. 

'Tis midnight; and for others' guilt 
The Man of Sorrows weeps in blood; 
Yet he that hath in anguish knelt 
Is not forsaken by his God." 



*Robinson 



334 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



Such thoughts as these fill the mind, and while we are thank- 
ful to God for the privilege of standing in these sacred plac- 
es, yet there comes over us a solemn sadness as we meditate 
upon this scene of agony. 

As we came away from the garden, the Franciscan gave 
us a little bouquet of flowers and a few sprigs from an olive 
branch growing at the foot of one of the old trees. 

We ride away from Gethsemane and ascend the slope of 
the mountain by one of three paths leading over its summit. 
These paths are plainly shown in our cut, page 329. We 
took the one to the left, and it was this one that King David 
ascended when he fled from his rebellious son Absalom. 
"And David went up by the ascent of Mount Olivet, and 
wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went 
barefoot: and all the people that were with him covered ev- 
ery man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went 
up." 2 Sam. 15: 30. We thought of this sad and mournful 
procession as we "went up" and of the sorrowing king walk- 
ing barefoot over the stony path as he fled from his own son. 

The hill-side was covered with beautiful flowers in full 
bloom and a number of olive trees add a picturesque beauty 
to the scene. On the top of the mountain is a church said 
to have been built on the spot from which our Savior ascend- 
ed and called the Church of Ascension. This, like many 
other legends abounding here, is entirely without historical 
proof. For a small fee, we were allowed to ascend to the 
tower, from which we had a most wonderful and delightful 
view. The city of Jerusalem lies seemingly at our feet. The 
Temple Platform, the Mosque of Omar, the Church of the 
Holy Sepulchre, the Tower of David and many other places 
of interest in the Holy City are to be seen. Here one gets 
the very best view of the Holy City. A few miles north- 
west rises Mizpeh, whfle to the south and south-west are the 



RETURNING TO JERUSALEM. 335 

hills of Bethlehem. Eastward the view is bounded by the 
blue mountains of Moab, at whose base to the south is to be 
seen the dark water of the Dead Sea and a portion of the 
Jordan Valley, and so clear is the atmosphere and so decep- 
tive the distances that, although the Dead Sea is twenty-eight 
miles away, as you look down upon it, for it is 1500 feet be- 
low where we stand, it does not appear to be more than ten 
miles away. 

A little to the south of the church just described is a 
building erected by a wealthy Italian lady, in which the 
Lord's Prayer is inscribed in thirty-one different languages. 
A beautiful marble sarcophagus, with the lady's statue in 
bas-relief on the lid, is shown. When she dies, her body is 
to be laid in this marble coffin. 

We rode down the west side of the mountain towards 
Bethany, which is now an Arab village with a few straggling 
buildings, and then turned back towards the city by the path- 
way so often trod by our Savior and over which he rode into 
the city on the foal of an ass. Dean Stanley has so beauti- 
fully described this triumphal procession of our Lord from 
Bethany to Jerusalem that we give it to our readers. Speak- 
ing of the road over which we are now riding, he says: 

"There can be no doubt that this last is the road of the 
entry of Christ, not only because, as just stated, it is, and 
must always have been, the usual approach for horsemen and 
for large caravans, such as then were concerned, but also be- 
cause this is the only one of the three approaches which 
meets the requirements of the narrative which follows: 

"Two vast streams of people met on that day. The one 
poured out from the city, and as they came through the 
gardens where clusters of palms rose on the southern corner 
of Olivet, they cut down the long branches, as was their wont 
at the Feast of Tabernacles, and moved upwards towards 



336 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

Bethany, with loud shouts of welcome. From Bethany 
streamed forth the crowds who had assembled there on the 
previous night, and who came testifying to the great event at 
the sepulchre of Lazarus. The road soon loses sight of Beth- 
any. It is now rough, but still a broad and well defined 
mountain track, winding over rock and loose stones; a steep 
declivity below on the left; the sloping shoulder of Olivet on 
the right; fig trees below and above, here and there growing 
out of the rocky soil. 

"Along the road the multitudes threw down the boughs, 
severed from the olive trees through which they were forc- 
ing their way, or spread out a rude matting formed of the 
palm-branches which they had already cut as they came out. 
The larger portion— those, perhaps, who escorted him from 

Bethany unwrapped their loose cloaks from their shoulders, 

and stretched them along the rough path, to form a moment- 
ary carpet as he approached. The two streams met midway; 
half of the vast mass, turning around, preceded; the other 
half followed. Bethany is hardly left in the rear, before the 
long procession must have swept up and over the ridge, when 
first begins 'the descent of the Mount of Olives' towards Je- 
rusalem. At this point the first view is caught of the south- 
eastern corner of the city. The temple and the more north- 
ern portions are hid by the slope of Olivet on the right; what 
is seen is only Mount Zion, now, for the most part, a rough 
field, crowned with the Mosque of David and the angles of 
the western walls, but then covered with houses to its base, 
surmounted by the castle of Herod, on the supposed site of 
the palace of David, from which that portion of the city, em- 
phatically 'The City of David,' derived its name. 

"It was at this precise point, 'as he drew near, at the 
descent of the Mount of Olives,'— may it not have been from 
the sight thus opening upon them?— that the hymn of tri- 



CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM. 337 

umph, the earliest hymn of Christian devotion, burst forth 
from the multitude, 'Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed 
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the 
kingdom that cometh of our father David. Hosanna * 

* peace * * * glory in the highest.' There was a 
pause as the shout rang through the long defile, and, as the 
Pharisees who stood by in the crowd complained, he pointed 
to the 'stones' which, strewn beneath their feet, would imme- 
diately 'cry out' if 'these were to hold their peace.' Again 
the procession advanced. The road descends a slight decliv- 
ity, and the glimpse of the city is again withdrawn behind 
the intervening ridge of Olivet. A few moments, and the 
path mounts again; it climbs a rugged ascent, it reaches a 
ledge of smooth rock, and in an instant the whole city bursts 
into view. * * * Immediately below was the valley of 
the Kidron, here seen in its greatest depth as it joins the 
valley of Hinnom, and thus giving full effect to the great pe- 
culiarity of Jerusalem seen only on its eastern side— its situ- 
ation as of a city rising out of a deep abyss. 

"It is hardly possible to doubt that this rise and turn of 
the road, this rocky ledge, was the exact point where the mul- 
titude paused again, and 'he, when he beheld the city, wept 
over it.' * * * After this scene, which, with the one ex- 
ception of the conversation at the well of Jacob, stands alone 
in the gospel history for the vividness and precision of its 
localization, it is hardly worth while to dwell on the spots 
elsewhere pointed out by tradition or probability on the rest 
of the mountain." 

We have followed Stanley's graphically written account 
of the entry of Christ into Jerusalem, until we stand on the 
exact spot where Jesus stood, and the city suddenly loomed 
up before us, and we could well believe that as our Savior 
on that remarkable day saw the city from this point, he 



338 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



might well have uttered the prophetic words: "If thou hadst 
known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which 
belong unto thy peace ! but now they are hid from thine eyes, 
for the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall 
cast a trench about thee, and compass thee around and keep 
thee in on every side." Luke 19: 42, 43. 

We followed the road down to the foot of the mountain 
and then, turning south, we ride down, over an exceedingly 
rough road, the valley of the Kiclron and, in a few minutes, 
come to the tomb of Absalom. This is a large square, or 
cube, hewn out of the solid rock, about twenty feet square. 
It is said the Jews vent their ill-humor towards this rebel- 
lious son of David by casting stones at his tomb as they pass 
by it. On the same slope of the hill, east side, is shown the 
tomb of Jehoshaphat, one of the rock-cut tombs which we 
have described in our account of the Tombs of the Kings. 
Still further south and opposite the south-east corner of the 
temple platform, is the grotto or tomb of St. J ames. This, 
too, is composed of a number of chambers hewn out of the 
solid rock. 

Above these tombs, on the slope ot the mountain, is a 
Jewish cemetery, and farther south is the Arabian village of 
Silwan, or Siloah. We have a good view of the village* from 
the west side of the valley, for we have now crossed over the 
Kiclron and are riding along Ophel. We pass the Virgin's 
Fountain, the Pool of Siloam, and ride up the Yalley of Hin- 
nom. As we ascend Zion's Hill, which, to the south-west, is 
steep and rugged, we sing together the lines of the beautiful 
hymn, 

"Come, ye that love the Lord," 
with the chorus: 

"We're marching upward to Zion, 
The beautiful city of God." 



BETHLEHEM, ETC. ddV 

We reach the Jaffa Gate and enter the city. After a 
short rest, we are in the saddle again, and on the way to 

Bethlehem, 

six miles from Jerusalem. Passing out of the Jaffa Gate, 
which seems to be the principal entrance to the city, we turn 
to the south, descending into the Valley of Gihon, crossing 
it in sight of the lower pool. Continuing our journey, we 
pass a large number of buildings, constructed by Sir Moses 
Montefiore, a rich English Jew. This liberal-minded Isra- 
elite, during his visits to the Holy Land, saw the condition 
of his poor brethren and founded here a Jewish hospice, or 
poor-house. The buildings present a very imposing appear- 
ance. Beyond them, on the hill, are several modern Ameri- 
can windmills, the only objects here that reminded us of 
home. 

We cross the supposed Valley or Plain of Eephaim, 
where the Philistines encamped once and again and where 
David smote them and burned their images. 2 Sam. 5: 17- 
25. The road is rather rough, but is a good one for Pales- 
tine, as we found before we finished our journey. For the 
most part, the road leads through what is now a barren coun- 
try. In some places the soil is cultivated, but the cultivation 
is very poorly done. 

About three miles from Jerusalem, we pass the residence 
of the Greek Patriarch, a dignitary in the Greek Church. 
The monastery of Elias, occupied by a few Greek monks, 
stands on a hill to the left of the road. From this hill a view 
is had of Bethlehem, to the south-east, Jerusalem to the 
north, and the blue mountain range east of the Jordan. 
From the monastery the road leads along the side of a valley 
and we have Bethlehem in view. About a mile before reach- 
ing the birth-place of the Lord, we stop to examine the tomb 



340 



LETTERS EROM BIBLE LANDS. 



of Rachel. It is a small building, recently constructed, hav- 
ing a dome at one end. An arched opening leads into a 
square chamber, into which travelers often ride on horseback. 
The Tomb is much revered by Christians and J ews, all agree- 
ing that here Jacob buried his beloved Rachel. Through 
the nineteen centuries of the Christian era, tradition has 
pointed to this spot as the last resting place of the mother 
of Joseph and Benjamin. Formerly, the place was marked 
by a pyramid of stones, but in the fifteenth century this was 
replaced with a building. The place agrees with the Bible 
narrative. 

The story of her death is a sad, touching one. Jacob 
had journeyed from Bethel to this place. "And there was 
but a little way to come to Ephrath" (Bethlehem), the city 
being only a mile away and in full sight, and here Benjamin 
was born. "And it came to pass, as her soul was in depart- 
ing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-oni" (that 
is, son of my sorrow): "but his father called him Benjamin" 
(that is, son of the right hand): "and Rachel died, and was 
buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Ja- 
cob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's 
grave unto this day." Gen. 35: 16-20. "It will be remem- 
bered that in wooing her, seven long years 'seemed to Jacob 
but a few days for the love he bore her.' And as the old 
man, long weary years after her loss, was himself drawing to 
the grave, he repeats, with tender memory, the story of her 
loss." "And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel 
died by me in the land of Canaan, in the way, when yet 
there was but a little way to x;ome unto Ephrath; and I bur- 
ied her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem." 
Gen. 47: 7. 

As we approach Bethlehem, we have a fine and pictur- 
esque view of the ancient city, and many of the Bible stories 



THE PLAINS OF BETHLEHEM. 



343 



connected with the place come back to the mind just as fresh 
and vivid as when we first heard them in the Sunday-school, 
thirty-five years ago. We think of the sorrow-stricken wid- 
ow Naomi bereft of her husband and sons, returning to her 
home, and as her own people look at her haggard face, bear- 
ing the marks of her great sorrow, they ask one another in 
surprise, "Is this Naomi?" We think of the dutiful daugh- 
ter Euth, who said to her mother-in-law, "Where thou diest, 
will I die, and there will I be buried" ; for before us are the 
fields of Boaz, where she gleaned after the reapers, and hav- 
ing found favor in his sight, became his, and so the ances- 
tress of our Lord. And we think, too, of that great event, 
before which, in interest, every other pales, — the birth of the 
Son of God. 

Here are the plains upon which the shepherds watched 
their flocks. "And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon 
them," for there came to the humble shepherds a heavenly 
messenger', heralding the glad tidings that "Unto you is born 
this clay in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the 
Lord." And here the heavenly host burst forth in a song of 
praise to God, "saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on 
earth peace, good-will toward men." 

Bethlehem (Arab Bet-Lahem) has existed for thousands 
of years. The name signifies, in Hebrew, the "place of 
bread," or "place of food," and the name was, no doubt, giv- 
en it on account of the great fertility of the country imme- 
diately surrounding it. It also derived its other Bible name, 
Ephratah, meaning "the fruitful," from the same source. 
According to the Bible, the inhabitants of Bethlehem pos- 
sessed vineyards and flocks of goats and made cheese. 1 
Sam. 17: 18. The city was held in high repute by the proph- 
ets, on account of its being the home of king David and his 
family. Here he spent his boyhood; here Samuel sought 



344 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

him out and anointed him, and here he was selected to play 
upon his harp before Saul, when the evil spirit troubled the 
king. 

It has had, like most towns in Palestine, an eventful 
history. About the fourth century it . began to attract pil- 
grims, and in the sixth century it is spoken of as a consider- 
able place. During the Crusades, the Arabs destroyed the 
city, but it was rebuilt by the Franks. In this century, and 
in the fourteenth as well, it was destroyed; the wall being, in 
the last-named century, razed to the ground. Since 1834, the 
town has been almost exclusively occupied by Christians. 

The town contains about five hundred houses, with a pop- 
ulation of 4,000. The inhabitants are noted for their indus- 
trious habits, and for their ruddy complexion and good looks. 

The principal object of interest in the place, and the one 
that attracts the many pilgrims, is the Church of the Nativi- 
ty, a huge, fortress-like building at the eastern side of the 
city. It is said to cover. the spot where our Savior was born, 
and on this account considered one of the holy places of 
Palestine. The nave of the church is said to be the oldest 
Christian building in existence. It is a portion of the grand 
building erected here by the Empress Helena, in the year 
327 A. D. The place of the nativity is reached by descend- 
ing a stair-case into a grotto twenty feet below the floor of 
the church. This chamber, or vault, is eleven by thirty- 
three feet, encased with marble, and decorated with many 
silver lamps, statues of saints, and numbers of ornaments. 
On one side of the chamber is a recess where a silver star 
marks the spot where our Savior was born. In another re- 
cess, a stone manger is shown, and there are also in this grot- 
to, the chapel of the Wise Men, the chapel of St. Joseph, the 
tomb of Eusebius, and the tomb of Jerome. The last-named 
divine spent nearly thirty years of his life in study, medita- 



BEGGARS BY THE WAY-SIDE. 04D 

tion and writing, by what, to him, was the cradle of the 
Christian religion. 

We came away from the church of the nativity, impress- 
ed with the thought that here men worship the locality rath- 




BEGGAHS BY THE WAY-SIDE. 

er than the Son of God, who was born here. We rode back 
to Jerusalem in the dusk of the evening, and as we were as- 
cending the hill just before reaching the Jaffa Gate, we 
passed some beggars by the way-side. 



346 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



A little farther on, we were met by a company of lepers, 
and we had our Ramleh experience over again. Near this 
point is the lepers' quarter. "We reached our hotel just at 
dark, tired, and very glad to dismount. Our dragoman in- 
formed us that we had ridden twenty miles, pretty good for 
our first day in the saddle. To-morrow we start for a ride of 
twenty miles to Jericho. 



V 




SPIKENARD. 



LETTER XIII. 



From Jerusalem to Jericho -Our Camp at Jericho— The 
, Dead Sea— The Jordan. 

Monday, March 17th, was the time appointed for onr 



■^F- through Palestine. We are to devote, twenty-one 
days to this part of "Our Trip," reaching Beyroot at the end 
of that time, and then embarking on our homeward voyage. 
We liad looked forward to the time that we should leave Je- 
rusalem, with some degree of pleasure, for we should then 
set our faces homeward, and each day's journey would bring 
us nearer our beloved home. 

At an early hour we were up and ready for the start. 
Our horses stood ready saddled and bridled in the open 
space inside the Jaffa Gate. During the night there had been 
an occasional shower, and now, as we go out of the hotel to 
mount our Arabian horses, the rain comes down in torrents, 
and we learn not to despise the "latter rains." Some of our 
party, now numbering eighteen, wished to wait until the ram 
ceased, but our dragoman, Capt. Heilpern, gave the word to go 
forward and we went. A ride of twenty miles had to be 
made before we could reach our camp at Jericho, and no 
time could be lost. After spending a half an hour in arrang- 
ing water-proofs, mounting and getting ready, we rode out 
of the Jaffa Gate, and so, in a driving rain storm, began our 
long and fatiguing ride through the Holy Land. Our way 
leads along the west and north walls of the city, and then 
down the steep side of the valley of , Jehoshaphat. We cross 
over the Kidron, which the recent rain has swollen to a con- 




Jerusalem on oar horseback journey 



348 



LETTEES FHOM BIBLE LANDS. 



siderable stream, pass by the Garden of Gethsemane, and 
begin the ascent of Olivet, by the southern road leading to 
Bethany. This is the road so often travelled over by our 
blessed Master, and the same one by which he made his tri- 
umphant entry into Jerusalem. Beaching the sharp turn in 
the road where the southern shoulder of the Mount of Olives 
cuts off entirely the view ol Jerusalem, we stop and take our 
last look at the Holy City. 

From this point one of the very best views of the city 
is to be had. Notwithstanding the rain was coming down 
rapidly, we lingered for some time on the spur of the hill, 
for this, in all human probability, is to be our last view of 
Jerusalem, and, as we turn away, and the hill of Zion is lost 
to sight, we fully realize that we shall see it no more. But 
seeing the earthly no more, we fondly hope, when life's jour- 
neyings are over, to reach the heavenly, where we shall live 
forever in the city of our God. 

Our traveling companions had left us far in the rear, 
and we rode on briskly, overtaking them before reaching 
Bethany. This is, at present, a poor Arab village, composed 
of a few humble houses. The name Bethany indicates "the 
house of poverty," owing, no doubt, to the fact that it lies in 
the border of the desert, and the soil around it not being 
productive. The Arabs call it El-Azariyeh from Lazarus, 
they having taken the El for an article, so that we have the 
name of Lazarus, who was here raised from the dead, perpet- 
uated in the Arabic name of the village. 

The distance from Jerusalem to Bethany is given, by St. 
John, as "about fifteen furlongs," not quite two miles. It is 
set down in modern guide books as being two miles. Here 
to this lowly village came our Savior to the house of his 
humble friends Lazarus, Martha and Mary. And here, when 
that friend died, he came to comfort the mourners, shedding 



THE SITE OF ANCIENT BETHANY. 



351 



tears of sympathy with them. Here he uttered the words 
that have, in all the years that have since gone by, brought 
comfort to wounded hearts, and given the Christian the grand 
hope of immortality. "I am the resurrection and the life; he 
that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 
and whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die." 
John 11: 25, 26. And then, to show that his words were not 
meaningless sounds, and that he had the power to call the 
dead to life, he called Lazarus from the grave and presented 
him alive to his sisters. 

We need not tarry long here. The village consists of 
about forty mud hovels, and the inhabitants are all Moslems. 
Around it are an abundance of fig, olive, almond, and carob 
trees. The tomb of Lazarus, the site of the house of Mary 
and Martha, the place where Martha met Jesus, and other 
places are shown, based only on the merest tradition. Of 
this we may be sure that here stood the ancient Bethany, 
and by the road we are now traveling, our Savior must have 
come up from Jericho. 

The rain had now ceased, and the sun came out bright 
and warm, a change that we all appreciated, for by this 
time, notwithstanding the protection of our water-proofs, we 
were pretty damp. From Bethany, our path leads us into 
the Wacly El-Hod; or valley of the watering place, so called 
from a well, known as the apostles' spring. It has also been 
identified as En-Shemesh. Josh. 15: 7. The valley is bar- 
ren, and the road none of the best. It was here, somewhere, 
that Shimei cursed and cast stones at David, who was fleeing 
from Absalom down to Jericho. 2 Sam. 16: 5. We are now 
rapidly descending, for the waters of the Dead Sea are no 
less than 3700 feet below Jerusalem. The road, or path, is 
the best of the kind we found in Palestine. A Koumanian 
princess, riding along this path a few years ago, suffered se- 

43 



352 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

vere injuries by the fall of her horse, and she very generous- 
ly donated a sum of money to repair the road for the benefit 
of future pilgrims. 

At noon, we halt at a dreary, barren-looking place, ten 
miles from Jerusalem, to eat our lunch and rest. It was 
again raining, and we were compelled to seek shelter beneath 
some rocks in a cave here. Our Arab attendants, Yosuf 
and Pharos, spread out a cloth on the ground, and we were 
soon seated around the improvised table and enjoyed our re- 
past right heartily. We took a good survey of the place, for 
here tradition locates the good Samaritan of the parable. 
Luke 10: 30-37. And here it was that the man fell among 
thieves, and, strange to say, this road from Jerusalem to Jeri- 
cho is still infested with thieves and robbers. Being appris- 
ed of this, we were traveling under an armed escort of sol- 
diers, without which it would have been impossible to 
visit Jericho in safety; so that the road to Jericho bears 
the bad name that it bore nearly 2000 years ago. 

The ruins of several uninhabitable houses stand near 
the place and it is desolate, and might well be chosen as a 
place for highwaymen to attack and rob travelers. 

After lunch, we are again in the saddle, pushing for- 
ward towards Jericho, the path descending rapidly through 
the valleys. The view is barren and desolate, but at last we 
catch a glimpse of the waters of the Dead Sea lying, appar- 
ently, only a few miles away, but in reality, not less than six- 
teen miles must be traveled before reaching it. We now 
have a deep valley, the Wady El-kelt, to our left; it is very 
deep, and affords some picturesque views; at length the val- 
ley of the Jordan suddenly bursts upon our sight. We can 
trace the course of the river for many miles, by the strip of 
green verdure along its banks. The mountains of Moab rise 
up east of the river, with Mount Nebo and Pisgah in full 



BEACHING CAMP. 355 

sight, where Moses stood when he looked over into the Prom- 
ised Land which he never entered. And a goodly land it 
must have seemed to him after his weary years of wander- 
ing in the desert and wilderness. What he saw was the 
broad beautiful valley of the Jordan, containing thousands of 
acres of the most fertile soil in all the East. And this view 
we had, for we are nearly opposite Pisgah, although not so 
high. The view was a welcome one, for we knew that our 
day's riding was soon to close and we were thoroughly tired. 

We descended the plain of Jordan at the foot of the hill, 
and pass the Pool of Moses. It is 564 feet long and 471 feet 
wide. The walls are built of small uncut stones. It was 
probably built by Herod the Great, and was a part of the 
ancient system of reservoirs used for irrigating this district 
which surrounded his palace at Jericho and made a para- 
dise of it. From the Pool of Moses we ride forward over the 
bare plain, crossing the brook Cherith, where the prophet 
was miraculously fed by ravens. 1 Kings 15: 3-5. 

As we were riding along, Yosuf pointed to a fountain 
bursting forth from the foot of the hill which we were skirt- 
ing, calling out in Arabic, Ain Sultan! Passing the fountain, 
our eyes were greeted by a most welcome sight, that of our 
tents and our camping place. The stars and stripes were 
floating from the centre pole of our large dining tent, and we 
at once thought of our own dear native land. 

Never was a si'ght more welcome. We had ridden twen- 
ty miles up hill and down, more than half the distance 
through a driving rain storm, and we were thoroughly 
drenched. Then horseback riding was new to us and it was 
terribly fatiguing. We dismounted and found a comforta- 
ble place to rest in our tent. In the large dining tent, an ex- 
cellent meal was ready for us, to,which we did ample justice. 
We went to bed early, and were not disturbed until the gong 



356 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

sounded in the morning for rising. Some of onr party were 
kept awake by the barking of jackals and the howling of the 
hyenas, but we did not hear them. A sound, refreshing 
sleep and we were up in time to catch the first glimpse of ■ 
the sun, as it came up clear and bright over the top of Pis- 
gah. 

Onr Camp. 

At Jericho we commenced our tent life, and from that 
point until we reached Damascus, our canvas house, No. 9, 
was our home, In it we enjoyed some of the most refresh- 
ing sleeps we ever had, and when we slept in it the last time, 
on the slopes of Lebanon, with the snow-capped Hermon in 
full view, we felt rather sorry to give it up, knowing that the 
exchange meant, instead of its roomy and airy space, the 
crowded, close cabin of a Mediterranean steamer. 

Our camp, when pitched, was composed of nine sleeping 
tents, a large dining tent, deep enough to set a table for our 
party of eighteen, and a tent for cooking. Each of the tents 
was numbered, so that we had the same one through all the 
journey. Each tent was furnished with two single iron bed- 
steads, with mattresses, two sheets, pillows, blankets and com- 
forters, a stand with tin wash basins, and tin water pitchers. 
The center pole had several hooks on which to hang clothing 
and also a strap with which to fasten it, to keep it from be- 
ing so easily appropriated by thieving Arabs. We were also 
furnished with strong, stout ropes, with which to tie our bag- 
gage fast to our bedstead. Our valuables, such as money, 
watches, etc., we gave to the dragoman, who placed it in a 
strong chest, which was carefully guarded during the night, 
and they were again returned to us in the morning. On the 
ground were spread two strips of Turkish carpet, and on the 
whole, the tent was quite comfortable and home-like. A 



A SKETCH OF OUR CAMP LIFE. ( 

couple of candles furnished plenty of light, either for read- 
ing or writing. 

In the early hours of the morning we were aroused by a 
rattling of tin pans, a kind of tom-tom. Our breakfast 
would usually be waiting for us in the dining tent, and in- 
cluded in its bill of fare, tea, coffee and milk (condensed), 
with boiled eggs or omelette, and either hot chicken or mut- 
ton. The table was supplied with china-ware, silver spoons, 
knives and forks and glasses. After breakfast everything 
was packed in large cases. Everything needed for the jour- 
ney had to be carried on mules; tent poles, provisions for 
three weeks, tent furniture, cooking stove and fuel; this with 
our own baggage, hand trunks and satchels, all had to be 
packed on the backs of mules each morning. 

It is astonishing how rapidly the work is done. Usual- 
ly by the time we were through with our breakfast, the tents 
were all down except the dining tent, and many of the mules 
were loaded for their day's march over the rough and rugged 
mountain roads. We have in our train forty-five horses and 
mules, and with our dragoman, guides, guards, cooks and 
servants, twenty men. About noon of each day we stop for 
lunch, and usually allow our horses to rest several hours. 
Our lunch was carried on mules and Mustafa and Yosuf, both 
Arabs, and Pharos, an Abyssinian, who have charge of the 
lunch, are our constant companions. Yosuf usually led wife's 
horse over the dangerous places, and gave her lessons in Ara- 
bic, while she endeavored to get him to speak English. By 
the time we reached Beyroot she had succeeded so far that 
he could say "Very good; Yosuf very good guide." Our lunch 
was composed of hard boiled eggs, cold chicken, mutton, 
sardines, bread and cheese, and oranges, raisins and nuts. 

After journeying all day one of the most welcome sights 
to us was our canvas town, with the American flag floating in 



358 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

the breeze. We usually found our tents pitched, and a good 
meal prepared and waiting for us in the dining tent. After 
washing off the dust of travel, the bell for our evening meal 
would ring. This was our dinner and the bill of fare was 
often equal to that of a first class hotel; soup, fish, mutton, 
wild game, and chicken, with a pudding for dessert. After 
the meal the program for the following clay would be an- 
nounced, and then, after relating the experiences of the day, 
we went to our tents, where, after writing up fully the oc- 
currences of the day, we retired to enjoy a night's rest that 
can only be enjoyed in a tent, after a day of fatiguing travel. 

Jericlio. 

Our camping place the first night out of Jerusalem is on 
the ancient site of Jericho. Nothing now remains of the an- 
cient city. A large mound, a few old foundations, and the 
proximity of Elisha's fountain, point this out as the site of 
the ancient city of Jericho. 

Jericho, also called in the Bible, the city of Palm Trees, 
was the scene of Joshua's great victory, when the walls of 
the city fell down at the blasts of Israel's trumpets. It was 
one of the chief cities of ancient Canaan, and must have been 
fruitful, owing to the fact that at the foot of the hill on 
which it stood, burst forth a large fountain of pure, sweet 
water. This spring, called by the Arabs, Aih Es-Sultan, or 
spring of the prophet, is undoubtedly the fountain healed by 
the prophet Elisha. "And the men of the city said unto 
Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleas- 
ant, as my Lord seeth; but the water is naught, and the 
ground barren. And he said, Bring me a cruse, and put salt 
therein. And they brought it to him, and he went forth un- 
to the spring of waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, 
Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall 



THE LOCATION OF ANCIENT JERICHO. dotf 

not be from thence any more death or barren land. So the 
waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of 
Elisha, which he spake." 2 Kings 2: 19-22. We drank of 
the waters and bathed in them, and can testify to their being 
pure and sweet. 

The city stood on a hill, and had, without doubt, a pleas- 
ant situation. The valley of the Jordan is spread out like a 




JERICHO. 

vast panorama, the mountains of Moab bounding the view on 
the east, whilst the northern end of the Dead Sea seems only 
a mile away. It was across this plain that the Israelites 
marched, after crossing over Jordan, and here, at Gilgal, 
they set up the twelve stones taken out of the river; here 
they encamped and from this point Joshua conducted his 
victorious campaign against the Canaanites. From here 



360 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

they began that notable march against the five kings, which 
ended in the victories of the Beth-horons, and the complete 
defeat of the kings. The old city was completely destroyed 
by Joshua, and in the presence of all Israel he said, "Cursed 
be the man before the Lord, that riseth np and buildeth this 
city Jericho." Josh. 6: 26. Nearly 500 years after this, 
Hiel, the Bethelite, rebuilt the city, and inherited the curse 
according to the word of the Lord, spoken by Joshua. 

From Jericho we rode down to the northern end of the 
Dead Sea, retracing our path of the day before; we crossed 
again the brook Cherith, and then wound our way through 
the thick growth of thorn trees and dense vegetation, to the 
Arab village of Biha. This is the site of the Jericho of the 
New Testament and of the ancient Gilgal. It is, perhaps, 
the filthiest of all Arab villages in the Holy Land. The huts, 
if the dirty holes in which the people live can be dignified 
with the name of hut, are the merest hovels, many of them 
being simply burrows in the ground. 

Here at Gilgal, the Jews celebrated the first passover in 
the Promised Land, and here the rite of circumcision was 
performed on all who had been born in the wilderness. "And 
the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the re- 
proach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the 
place is called Gilgal (i e. rolling) unto this day." Here the 
manna ceased and the children of Israel began eating of the 
fruit of the Land of Canaan. Here Saul was made king, 
and here the children of Judah assembled to bring back Da- 
vid after the rebellion of Absalom. Here it was that Zach- 
eus, in order to see our Savior, climbed up one of the syca- 
more trees which grew by the way, audit was from this place 
that Christ began his last journey* to Jerusalem. On the 
south-east side of the group of hovels are the ruins of an old 
tower, said to occupy the site of the house of Zacheus. 



THE DEAD SEA — HISTOBICAL. 361 

There are a few vineyards and gardens, but the people are 
for the most part, lazy and improvident, and have the repu- 
tation of being the greatest thieves -in Palestine. 

The plain, here, is covered with thorn trees from which, 
it is said, the crown of thorns, that our Savior wore, was 
made; also the balsam tree from which the balm of Gilead 
is made. Here are also to be seen the trees bearing the So- 
dom apple. It is a woody shrub growing to the height of 
three or four feet. The fruit has the appearance of an ap- 
ple, being first yellow, and then red, with black seeds. 

From Gilgal, the north end of the Dead Sea is in full 
view, apparently only a short distance away, but, in reality, 
it is seven miles from us and the plain of Sodom and Go- 
morrah intervenes. One is constantly being deceived by the 
clearness of the atmosphere; objects appear to be close at 
hand when they are miles away. We descend a number of 
shelving banks to a kind of table-land below. The scene 
becomes constantly more desolate and barren, until the des- 
ert plain is reached. Here the ground is covered with salt 
and sulphur and not a trace of vegetation is to be found. 
At last, after making a number of descents, the Dead Sea is 
reached. The desolation is complete. Not a living thing is 
to be seen. The wind was blowing hard and the heavy wa- 
ter of the sea was in great commotion. The waves rolled on 
the shores, producing a peculiar, heavy, roaring sound, caus- 
ed by the density of the water. 

Until 1837, the Dead Sea was not supposed to be below 
the level of the Mediterranean. A series of measurements 
revealed the fact that it is nearly 1300 feet below the level of 
that body of water. The following measurements are the 
most recent and reliable: 

Level of Dead Sea below Mediterranean, - 1293 feet. 
Greatest depth of Dead Sea, - - - - 1310 



362 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

Height of Jerusalem above Mediterranean, 2494 feet. 

" Dead Sea, - - 3697 " 
Mean depth of Dead Se« s - 1080 " 

Length " . " " - - 46 miles. 

Width »»»---- 10 " 

In 1848, the United States sent out Lieut. W. F. Lynch 
with an expedition to explore and survey the Sea. They con- 
veyed two metal boats from Acre across the country to the 
Sea of Galilee. Here the boats were put together and launch- 
ed, and the party descended the Jordan to the Salt Sea. 
Their explorations and surveys were highly successful, and 
resulted in setting at rest many of the doubts and wild leg- 
ends connected with this most singular body of water. 

There is no outlet to the sea, and, although it has been 
calculated that over six million tons of water are emptied in- 
to it daily, yet it is probable that the level of the sea is grad- 
ually sinking. The prodigious amount of water emptied in- 
to it must be carried off by evaporation. The atmosphere 
here being intensely hot and dry, it would naturally absorb 
and retain a vast amount of moisture. As a result of this 
extraordinary evaporation, the lake is strongly impregnated 
with mineral substance. At least one-fourth of the water is 
mineral. It yields nearly thirteen per cent common salt. It 
also contains a considerable amount of sulphur. So dense 
is the water that the human body floats in it without exer- 
tion. 

The water is exceedingly nauseous to the taste, and so 
deadly is its character that it is now known that no signs of 
life are found, either in it or on its shores. It was owing to 
the malignant character of the water and the entire absence 
of animal life that the Greeks gave it the name of the Dead 
Sea. In the Bible it is called the " Sea of the Plain," (Deut. 
4: 29) the "Salt Sea" (Deut. 3: 17); in the Jewish Talmud, 



THE DEAD SEA — HISTORICAL. 606 

the "Sea of Sodom"; and Josephus calls it "Lake Asphalti- 
tes." The Arabs, however, perpetuate Lot's history with it, 
and call it Bahr-Lut (the Sea of Lot). It was, without 
doubt, at the northern end of this body of water and on its 
shores that Lot took up his abode in the cities of the plain, 
Sodom and Gomorrah. Gen. 12: 12. Here the battle of the 
kings was fought, "in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt 
sea." And here it was that when the wickedness of Sodom 
and Gomorrah became so great that the Lord could no long- 
er endure it, he destroyed them. 

It was somewhere along the south-western coast of the 
Dead Sea that travelers have generally looked for the pillar 
of salt which once stood here as a monument of the disobe- 
dience and curiosity of Lot's wife. Josephus relates that it 
existed in his time, and later tradition also asserts that the 
pillar of salt remained at a time since that of Josephus. Dr. 
Thompson thinks that it is not improbable that some of the 
salt pinnacles standing on the shore of the lake, south of 
Masada, may have been taken for the pillar of salt. Along 
this shore of the sea is a ridge of rock salt with pinnacles, 
some of which are a hundred feet high. Of course, at this 
time, there can be no certainty as to the locality where the 
miraculous pillar stood. 

Lieut. Lynch, of the American expedition, says, in his 

report: 

"Everything said in the Bible about the Dead Sea and 
the Jordan we believe to be fully verified by our observa- 
tions. The inference from the Bible that this entire chasm 
was a plain, sunk and 'overwhelmed' by the wrath of God, 
seems to be sustained by the extraordinary character of our 
soundings. The bottom of the sea consists of two submerg- 
ed plains, an elevated and a depressed one, the former aver- 
aging thirteen, the latter thirteen hundred feet below the 



364 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

surface. Through the northern and larger and deeper one, 
in a line corresponding with the bed of the Jordan, is a ra- 
vine, which, again, seems to correspond with the Wady-el- 
Jeib, or ravine within a ravine, at the south end of the sea. 
Between the Jabbok and this sea we unexpectedly found a 
sudden break down in the bed of the Jordan. If there be a 
similar break down in the water-courses to the south of the 
sea, accompanied with like volcanic characters, there can 
scarce be a doubt that the whole basin has sunk from some 
extraordinary convulsion, preceded, probably, by an eruption 
of fire, and a general conflagration of the bitumen which 
abounded in the plain." 

From this statement it may be seen that it is possible 
that the sites of the cities are now covered with the waters 
of the Dead Sea. We intended to take a bath in the water, 
but it was rough and cold, and we rode away without the 
salt water bath. Few travelers ever see the water of the 
lake in such great commotion as it was on the day of our 
visit. 

We ride across the plain from the Dead Sea to the Jor- 
dan. The mounds and hillocks are covered with salt and the 
plain is a desert, but the eye rests longingly on the green 
line of foliage marking the course of the sacred stream. A 
ride of four miles brings us to the banks of the Jordan. 
Here we dismount and eat our lunch under the shade of the 
trees growing on the banks of the river. This is the tradi- 
tional site where John baptized our Savior; but it is not be- 
cause of this that we feel the strong emotions that fill our 
hearts as we stand on Jordan's banks. We care not whether 
this is the exact spot where the Son of God gave us an ex- 
ample by going down into the water and being baptized of 
John in Jordan or not. It is enough for us to know that we 



THE EIVER JOEDAN. 



365 



are standing by the very stream in which this great baptism 
was performed. 

At the foot of Mount Hermon, in Syria, a fountain gush- 
ing out from the rocks, rushes down a rocky channel and, 
joining other small streams, forms the source of this wonder- 
ful river. It crosses the plains of Huleh, lying between the 
Anti Libanus and the mountains of Galilee, forming the wa- 
ters of Merom. From here, increased in volume by the ad- 
dition of other streams and the great depression in the val- 
ley, it falls into the Sea of Galilee, which is only a widening 
of the river. From the Sea of Galilee it falls rapidly until, 
finally, it plunges into the Dead Sea, where it is lost forever. 

From the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea the fall is 1000 
feet in a distance of sixty miles, but such is the winding 
course of the river that it measures about two hundred miles 
in length between the two lakes. The river varies in width, 
being from eighty to one hundred and sixty feet wide, and 
from five to fifteen feet deep. Owing to its great fall, it has 
a very swift current. It has three banks, all of which are 
overflowed after the heavy rains during the winter. The wa- 
ters then begin to subside and by the time the latter rains 
cease, from the fifteenth of March to the first of April, it is 
usually found flowing inside of its second banks. After the 
long-continued drought and heat of the summer, it recedes 
within its inner banks and is, at this season, October, a very 
small stream. On this day, March 18th, the stream is nearly 
full to its outer banks. It was a little later than this in the 
spring, probably in the first part of April, that the Israelites, 
after wandering forty years in the wilderness, passed over 
Jordan. The passage took place during the time of harvest, 
" for the Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of har- 
vest." Josh. 3: 15. 



36(5 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

In the morning, as we rode through the barley fields at 
Riah, we noticed that the grain was in full head and would 
soon be ready to harvest; and here the Jordan is swollen, so 
that we have been an eye-witness to the truth of the state- 
ment above quoted. Some travelers, visiting the river during 
dry seasons, have doubted the correctness of the above pass- 
age. It should be remembered that at the time the Israel- 
ites crossed over Jordan, the hills and mountains at the 
source and all along the course of the river were heavily tim- 
bered. This timber has been destroyed, and, as a result, the 
rain-fall has materially decreased, so that, at the time of har- 
vest now, the waters would naturally be lower than they were 
then. But, even with the changed conditions, we have seen 
evidences to convince us that even to-day the Jordan may 
overflow all his banks in the time of harvest. 

How Bible incidents throng upon us as we stand here 
by the rushing river and give ourselves time for thought! 
Here came the prophets Elijah and Elisha smiting the wa- 
ters and thus securing a passage over the rapid stream. Eli- 
jah is taken from earth to heaven and Elisha, returning, uses 
the mantle which fell upon him as his master departed, 
smites the waters and passes over on dry ground. In these 
waters Naaman was cured of his leprosy; "his flesh came 
again, like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean." 2 
Kings 5. Here was heard the "voice of one crying in the 
wilderness, Repent ye; for the kingdom of 'heaven is at hand." 
And the voice reached Jerusalem and all parts of Judea and 
the regions round about Jordan; and they came, confessing 
their sins, and were baptized by the great preacher from the 
wilderness. And here, most sacred memory of all, and be- 
fore which all others pale, our blessed Master went down in- 
to the water and was baptized, and then heaven, approving 
the act, opened its portals and the Spirit of God came down 



WONDERFUL HORSEMANSHIP. 367 

and a voice, "saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am 
well pleased." All these things occurred not far from where 
we are standing. 

Leaving the banks of the sacred stream, we ride back to 
our camp at Jericho. On the way our Arab guards give us 
an exhibition of their wonderful horsemanship. Our drago- 
man, our sheik and Mr. Bowes also join in the sport. The 
Arabs are the best riders in the world. With only a halter 
with which to guide their Arabian horses, they urged them 
to their utmost speed. They sped over the plains almost 
like the wind. Suddenly they would, by a gentle motion of 
the hand, cause the horse to turn in a short circle. So grace- 
ful were their movements that they seemed to be almost a 
part of their horses. Our dragoman rode a fleet Arabian 
horse and in a straight dash he could outride his Arab rivals. 
As we nearecl the village of Kiha, we saw a number of wom- 
en marching towards the village, with large bundles of brush 
and sticks on their heads; they were carrying in a supply of 
fuel. We reached our camp in the evening, and found that 
we had ridden twenty-four miles. To-morrow we ride thirty- 
four miles to Sinjal, passing Bethel on the way. 




LETTER XIV. 




From Jericho to Betliel-Sliiloli- Jacob's 
Well— Sliechem. 

ednesday, March 19, at four o'clock in the morning, 
our slumbers were broken by the beating of tin pans 
and ringing bells, and long before sunrise we were in 
the saddle and off, on what proved to be the longest and 
most fatiguing day's ride of our whole trip. Our course lay 
directly north over the mountains and hills of the wilderness 
of Judea. As our camp was pitched at the foot of the mount- 
ains, the business of climbing began at once; and from morn- 
ing until evening, when we reached our camp at Sinjal, thir- 
ty-four miles away, we passed over the worst road it was ev- 
er our lot to travel. 

After riding upward for an hour, we reach the top ot 
the first hill, and here a stop is made to take a last look at 
the lower valley of the Jordan. The sun was just rising 
from behind Mount Nebo, flooding the beautiful and fertile 
valley with its rays of bright light. The mountains of Moab, 
with Nebo and Pisgah, stood out in the clear morning light 
in bold relief. The Dead Sea, in its gloom and desolation, 
lay at our feet, whilst the winding Jordan was visible for 
miles up and down the valley, its course distinctly marked 
by the borders of verdure that grew on its banks. We are 
traveling by the same road by which the prophet Elisha 
went up from Jericho to Bethel, when the children came 
out and mocked him. Joshua and the hosts of Israel march- 
ed up these mountain steeps on that memorable day when the 
battle of Beth-horon was fought and the sun and moon 



A FATIGUING RIDE. dt)V 

stood still in the valley of Ajalon. It must have been hard 
marching, for we find it a fatiguing ride. 

Dr. Robinson, who also rode up the same hills, after 
having gained the place where we now stand, thus describes 
the scenery: 

"The way now became, in general, less steep, though we 
still had to climb occasionally sharp ascents, and pass along 
the brow of fearful precipices. On our right the Wady (val- 
ley) Nawa'imeh occupied the bottom of a broad, sunken 
tract, composed of chalky mountains rising on each side, 
presenting only the aspect of a terrific desert. All around we 
could see naught but waves of naked, desolate, pyramidal 
and conical mountains, with deep Wadies (valleys) between, 
marked only by the narrow tracks of goats, which climb 
along their sides to crop the few herbs thinly sprinkled over 
them. It was one of the most truly desert spots we had yet 
visited. The path led us along the tops and sides of declivi- 
ties as nearly perpendicular as they could be without being 
composed of solid rock." 

We found that the learned doctor had not overdrawn his 
statement. We wound around these conical desert hills and 
mountains, along the side of steep precipices where a mis- 
step by our surefooted horses would have precipitated horse 
and rider into the abyss hundreds of feet below, and at 
length reached a more level part of the country, but still 
rough and desolate. We pass the ancient site of Ai or Hai. 
It is spoken of in Gen. 12: 8, as having lain east of Bethel, 
and it was here, having Bethel on the west and Hai on the 
east, that Abraham built an altar and sacrificed to the Lord. 
The most remarkable circumstance connected with Ai, was 
its siege by Joshua, The walls of Jericho had fallen down 
before the army of Israel, and the conquest of the land was 
to be energetically pushed forward. The city was taken by 

45 



370 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

stratagem and utterly destroyed. "And Joshua burnt Ai, 
and made it a heap forever, even a desolation unto this day." 
Josh. 8: 28. From Ai a ride of two miles and a half brought 
us to Bethel, where we gladly dismounted for our noonday 
lunch, having been in the saddle six hours. The clay was 
cool with an occasional shower of rain which did not add to 
the pleasure of the trip. We ate our lunch in the ruins of a 
church, built during the Crusades, surrounded by the Arab 
villagers, men, women and children coming out to see the 
Howajii, or pilgrims, as they called us. 

The Arab village which stands on the hill-side is called 
Betin, identical with the ancient Bethel or Luz. The sacred- 
ness of the place dates back to Abraham's time. It was to 
this place that Jacob, weary with his journey, took stones for 
a pillow and lay down to sleep; and here the Lord appeared 
unto him in a wonderful dream, and renewed to him the : 
promises made to Abraham, and to Isaac his father. And 
Jacob, in amazement, exclaimed, "How dreadful is this place! 
this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate 
of heaven." Gen. 28: 17. And he changed the name from 
Luz to Bethel, or "House of God." Joshua allotted the 
place to Benjamin as a frontier town. Here the ark of God 
also was deposited for a time, and it was here that Samuel 
annually judged Israel. 1 Sam. 7: 16. It was the chief scene 
of Jeroboam's idolatry and wickedness. 

The modern Arab village consists of miserable, mud 
hovels, with about four hundred inhabitants. They are poor, 
ill fed, and half naked. They stood around us watching us 
eat with longing eyes. A bone was thrown to one of their 
dogs; a full grown Arab immediately caught the dog, took 
the bone from him, and very complacently seating himself on 
the ground, began gnawing at it himself. Below the vil- 
lage is a large reservoir or pool about 300 feet long and 200 



THE FAVOBED LAND OF EPHKAIM. 



371 



feet wide, used, no doubt, in ancient times for irrigating 
purposes. East of the village, a fine view is had of a beauti- 
ful green valley. 

-Leaving Bethel, we continue our journey northward, 
riding along the crest of the hills, passing on the way sever- 
al Arab villages. We are now in the favored land of 
Ephraim, and the terraced hill-sides abound with olive and 




TERRACED HILLS. 



fig orchards, and numerous vineyards. If the mountain 
ranges were covered with timber, as they were in ancient 
times, the scenery would be beautiful; as it is, the barren 
mountain and hill tops give the whole country a desolate 
and unfruitful appearance. The roads are frightful, and 
several of our party had falls from their horses to-day. The 
path is full of loose stones, and the horses will sometimes 
stumble and fall. Happily no one was seriously injured. 

We descend into a narrow, lonely valley between two 
cliffs, called the Kobbers' Glen. Leaving this narrow valley, 



372 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

we enter a more extended plain, and now we begin to look 
eagerly forward to see if we can catch a glimpse of our can- 
vas homes. We are all very tired, having had a long ride 
over an exceedingly rough road. Wife is completely ex- 
hausted, and she can ride no farther. We are now nearly 
a mile from camp, but we dismount and take a short rest, 
and then make our way to our tent on foot. Never did a 
resting place seem more welcome. Our camp was pitched 
on a high hill at Sinjal, an Arab village. We rode about 
thirty-four miles, and were in the saddle not far from eleven 
hours. The fatigue was too much, and we determined to 
make shorter rides in the future. A good, refreshing night's 
rest, however, and we were up on Thursday morning, March 
20th, at an early hour, wonderfully refreshed and ready for 
another day's work. To-night our tents will be pitched at 
ancient Shechem, at the foot of Mount Gerizim, twenty-two 
miles away. We rode clown into a fertile and well-cultivated 
valley from Sinjal. The barley fields presented a fine ap- 
pearance, and olive and fig trees were to be seen in great 
abundance, Instead of going direct to Shechem, we take 
the road that leads to Shiloh, the Arabic name of which is 
Seilan. The place is now a heap of ruins. It was here that 
the tabernacle was set up, and the portion of seven tribes of 
the children of Israel was allotted to them. Here Eli, the 
high priest, lived and had, under his protection, the youth- 
ful Samuel with whom the Lord conversed while he was yet a 
youth; and it was here that the aged priest fell backward and 
broke his neck when he heard that his two sons had fallen m 
battle, and that the ark of God had been taken by Philis- 
tines. The large mound covered with huge masses of stone 
and broken columns, is all that remains of ancient Shiloh, 
and one is forcibly reminded, while looking at the ruins, of 
the words of the prophet Jeremiah: "Go ye now unto my 



JACOB'S WELL. 373 

place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, 
and see what I did for it, for the wickedness of my people 
Israel." Jer. 7: 12. 

From Shiloh we cross the well cultivated valley and pass 
by Lubban, the Lebonah of the Bible. We now have, for 
the first time since we left Jerusalem, a good, level piece of 
road, and our horses, tired of picking their way over stony 
roads, are as glad of it as we are. The land here is fairly 
well cultivated and it is the most fruitful part of Palestine 
that we have yet visited. We could imagine that with the 
mountains covered with timber and with the greater amount 
of rainfall that the country enjoyed before the destruction of 
the timber, that it must have been exceedingly fertile and . 
productive and that it could well support the dense popula- 
tion that covered these fertile plains, hills and valleys when 
David was king. Ascending a hill we have before us the 
great plain surrounded by the mountains of Samaria. Mts. 
Gerizim and Ebal, the mounts of blessing and cursing, are 
in full view. The plain is level and those who are so inclin- 
ed can enjoy a gallop over the comparatively smooth road. 
On the way we met a woman with a small child, sitting on an 
ass, and a man leading the animal, and we thought of the 
flight into Egypt. Our course leads us to 

Jacob's Well, 

where we stop for our noonday meal and our rest. This 
place is sacred to Jews and Christians alike, and all 
authorities agree that it was here that our Savior sat and 
conversed with the woman of Samaria. Around about us 
are the geographical evidences that this is the very spot so 
minutely described in the New Testament. To our left and 
only a short distance away stands Mount Gerizim, on which 
then stood the great Samaritan temple; and it was to this 



374 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 




ARABS AT A WELL. 



mountain that the woman pointed when she said, " Our fa- 
thers worshiped in this mountain; and ye say that in Jerusa- 
lem is the place where men ought to worship." John 4: 20. 



Jacob's well. 375 

Around about us are the grain fields to which the Master 
pointed his disciples when he told them that the fields were 
"white already to harvest." At this place Jacob had his on- 
ly possession in the land of promise, a field that he bought 
"for an hundred pieces of money." Gen. 33: 19. The Amor- 
ites, however, not respecting his title, took it from him, but 
he reconquered it. " I took it out of the hand of the Amor- 
ite with my sword and with my bow." Gen. 48: 22. And 
when the aged patriarch was dying down in Egypt, he gave 
this parcel of land to his son Joseph, who, many years after, 
commanded that his bones should be carried up from Egypt 
and be buried here, and his tomb is to be seen here to-day. 

A church had been built over the well in the fourth cen- 
tury, but this has long since fallen into ruins. An arch resting 
on heavy walls, was built over the well. At one end the arch 
is broken away, and, descending about twelve feet through 
this opening, we come to the mouth of the well, which is 
raised slightly above the level of the ground at the bottom 
of the arch. The weir is, at the present time, about sixty- 
five feet deep, but it is largely filled with rubbish and may 
have been double this depth when it was first completed. 
With the assistance of a couple of Arabs, who brought some 
ropes and tied them together, we succeeded in drawing water 
from the well. It was fresh and clear and pleasant to the 
taste. 

From the well we rode to Joseph's tomb, a modern build- . 
ing reconstructed by Mr. Eogers, British Consul at Damas- 
cus, in 1868. Speaking of this tomb, Mr. McGarvey says: 

" The probability that this is the real resting place of 
the bones of Joseph is very great. His mummy, when 
brought up out of Egypt by Joshua, was buried in the 'par- 
cel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor, 
the father of Shechem, for an hundred pieces of silver' (Josh. 



376 LETTEBS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

24: 32), and this is that parcel of ground. True, the tomb is 
of Mohammedan structure and modern, but the long period 
of time which has elapsed has made many reconstructions of 
the original tomb necessary, and this may be but the last of 
the series; and the fact that it is not made to point toward 
Mecca is opposed to the supposition that it is an invention of 
the Moslem. But for the superstition of the Moslem, who 
would resent, with the utmost violence, any attempt at exca- 
vation into the tomb, the question whether Joseph's mummy, 
or any part of it, is to be found there, could be settled in a 
few hours; and, doubtless, the clay is coming when this will 
be done. It is not impossible that visitors to the Holy Land 
may yet gaze upon the actual body of Joseph here, and at 
Hebron look his father Jacob in the face." 

Leaving Joseph's tomb, we enter the Yalley of Shechem, 
which is here merely a gap between Mount Gerizim and 
Mount Ebal. Here it was, between these two mountains, in 
a kind of natural amphitheatre, that Joshua assembled the 
children of Israel and read to them the law of Moses. Deut. 
27; Josh. 8: 30-35. From Gerizim the blessings of obedi- 
ence were pronounced and from Ebal the curses of disobedi- 
ence were promulgated. The same author, whom we have 

just quoted, says: 

"If it were possible, under any circumstances, for one 
man to read so as to be heard by such a multitude, this is the 
very place in which to do it. A number of travelers have 
tried the experiment of speaking to one another from mount- 
ain to mountain, and have succeeded with ease. * * * 
The discovery of such an auditorium in the very spot where 
an event of nearly 4000 years ago suggests that it might be 
found, while the record of the event says nothing about it, is 
a striking coincidence confirmatory of the Biblical narra- 
tive." 



THE FEAST OP THE PASSOVER. 377 

Instead of riding directly to our tents, which are now 
only a mile away, we first make the ascent of Gerizim. The 
mountain is 2855 feet above the sea level, the ascent being 
steep and rough. The summit consists of a large level 
plateau, in the centre of which the Samaritans point out a 
rock as the altar of their temple, which they built here about 
the same time that the Jews rebuilt the temple at Jerusalem, 
after the Babylonish captivity. A remnant of the ancient 
Samaritans still live in Shechem, and come here to this 
old altar to keep the feast of the Passover and to offer sacri- 
fices. We saw where they pitch their tents when they come 
here to worship, and to keep the passover. 

Dean Stanley witnessed this interesting ceremony in 
1862, and the author of Baedeker was fortunate enough to be 
present at the feast of the Passover in 1869. He thus de- 
scribes it: "Seven days before Palm Sunday, the whole of 
the Samaritan community had repaired hither and had en- 
camped in this basin, where everything wore a gay, holiday 
aspect. In the tent of the high-priest, where we partook of 
coffee, his wife was busied in preparing the 'bitter herbs,' 
which she mixed with unleavened dough. Towards sunset, 
we proceeded to the scene of sacrifice, a little nearer to the 
top of the mount. Over a carefully tended fire of twigs 
stood large caldrons of water, and a few paces up there was 
another fire in a deep pit, also carefully supplied with fuel. 
To the right of the first fire, within a space enclosed by 
stones, stood twelve men in white surplices and turbans, rep- 
resenting the twelve tribes of Israel, with their faces turned 
toward the summit of the mount, and chanting passages of 
Scripture and prayers in a monotonous tone. On a block of 
stone in front of them stood a young priest, turned towards 
the setting sun, and behind him, but outside the enclosed 
space, were the spectators. The oldest members of the com- 

46 



378 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

munity then approached and sat down on one side, near Am- 
ram the high-priest, silently joining in the prayers of the 
twelve. Around the fires were ranged a number of white- 
robed men and boys, holding seven white lambs, and behind 
them stood a throng of women and children. 

"As soon as the last ray of the sun had ceased to gild 
the Mediterranean, the high-priest pronounced a blessing 
three times, and in a loud voice repeated the passage: 'And 
the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill 
it in the evening.' (Ex. 12: 6.) Thereupon the slaughterers, 
who had already tested the sharpness of their knives with 
the tips of their tongues, instantly cut the throats of the 
lambs, while loudly reciting a form of prayer. The twelve 
now approached the place of sacrifice, reading aloud the 
above chapter of Exodus. When they came to the verse 
which requires the blood to be struck c on the two side posts 
and on the upper door posts of the houses,' the fathers dip- 
ped their forefingers in the warm blood and drew a line with 
it, from the forehead to the tip of the nose, on their children's 
faces. Meanwhile, the chanting continued until a straw plat- 
ter with bitter herbs was placed before the high-priest, who 
handed to each comer his portion. The men reverentially 
kissed the priest's hand and showed the same mark of respect 
to the elders of the community. They then embraced and 
kissed each other, expressing mutual wishes for the success 
of the festival. As the slaughterers were not permitted to 
leave their posts, the priest thrust their portions into their 
mouths, and after the men and boys had all partaken, the re- 
mainder was distributed among the women. In order to fa- 
cilitate the removal of the wool, hot water was poured over 
the victims, and as soon as this process was completed, each 
lamb was hung by the hind legs on a piece of wood resting 



THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER. 379 

on the shoulders of two youths, in which position the entrails 
were removed. The animals were then scrupulously exam- 
ined, great care being taken lest they should be polluted by 
the too near approach of strangers. 

" One of the lambs was pronounced by the high-priest 
to be affected with a blemish, whereupon it was immediately 
thrown into the fire, to which were also consigned the wool, 
the entrails, and the right fore legs of the other victims. 
The lambs were now rubbed with salt, hung on long poles 
and carried to the pit containing the second fire. At a cer- 
tain passage in the prayers they were suddenly thrown in ; 
bundles of twigs were then speedily placed over the mouth 
of the pit, and the opening closed with pieces of turf. 

"The twelve surpliced men now returned to their enclos- 
ure and read on unremittingly till midnight. The pit was 
then opened and the roasted lambs were taken out and car- 
ried in new straw-baskets into the enclosure, where they were 
eaten in haste by the men, in a crouching attitude, and with 
staves in their left hands. The white-robed men, in profound 
silence, thus eating the passover, presented a peculiarly sol- 
emn and impressive scene. At length the hour arrived for 
the morning prayer of four hours' duration, whereupon we 
quitted the place." 

This is, perhaps, the only spot in the world where the 
feast of the passover is observed in this primitive way. The 
Samaritans are fast passing away, and before many years 
have elapsed, the feast of the passover, as observed on Mount 
Gerizim, will have forever ceased. At the present time there 
are about forty families, with not to exceed 140 souls, of these 
people left, who once covered all of Central Palestine. The 
name Samaria is used in the New Testament to designate 
this part of the country. 



380 LETTEBS FKOM BIBLE LANDS. 

After the kingdom of Israel had been destroyed and the 
ten tribes carried into eastern captivity by the Assyrians, the 
country was gradually filled up with a foreign population. 
"And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and 
from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from 
Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead 
of the children of Israel." 2 Kings 17: 24 An Israelitish 
priest was also sent amongst them, who taught the Jewish 
religion, which they, in part, adopted. When the tribes of 
Judah returned from the Babylonish captivity and commenc- 
ed the rebuilding of the temple, the Samaritans, with friend- 
ly intent, wished to join them in the work, but the exclusive- 
ness of the Jewish character, intensified, no doubt, by the 
captivity, repelled the proffered aid. They were, by the same 
jealous spirit, excluded from all participation in the worship 
of the Jews. The breach thus formed gradually widened, 
and war and bloodshed followed, so that, in our Savior's 
time, the two nations held no intercourse whatever; hence 
the surprise of the woman of Samaria when the Lord asked 
her for water at Jacob's well. 

In Nabulus (Sechem) they have a synagogue in which 
is carefully preserved an ancient manuscript copy of the 
Pentateuch. It differs somewhat from our version. The 
Samaritans believe strictly in one God, and especially forbid 
all kinds of images and idolatry. They believe in the resur- 
rection from the dead, a final judgment, and in spirits good 
and evil. Like the Jews, they also expect the coming of the 
Messiah, which they place at 6000 years after the creation of 
the world. They make three annual pilgrimages to the top 
of Mount Gerizim, where they observe, at the stated times, 
the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of weeks and the 
feast of tabernacles. Sacrifices are offered, however, only at 



THE SICHEM OF THE BIBLE. 381 

the feast of the passover. A plurality of wives is allowed, 
if the first wife is childless. 

We rode down from Gerizini as the shades of evening 
were gathering around the sacred mountain. Below us lay 
the city of Nabulus, surrounded by a beautiful valley and 
the green hill-sides of the mountains. The valley is very 
fertile, as there is an abundance of water with which to irri- 
gate. Skirting the northern edge of the city, we crossed over 
a rushing stream and reached our camp just at night-fall. 
We found a motley crowd around our camp fire,— Arabs, 
Jews, Greeks, Turks; men, women and children, curiously 
watching all our movements. Some of them, intent on busi- 
ness, were offering various kinds of trinkets for sale. 

The city, near which our tents are pitched, is the Sichem 
of the Bible. It was the first place passed by Abram on his 
journey into the land of Canaan, when he went to take pos- 
session of it at the command of the Lord. Gen. 12: 6. Ja- 
cob also passed through the place and purchased a piece of 
land from the men of Sichem. Here it was that Simeon and 
Levi cruelly murdered all the males of the city and brought 
upon themselves the malediction of their dying father J acob. 
"Simeon and Levi are brethren: instruments of cruelty are 
in their habitations. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce: 
and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob 
and scatter them in Israel." Gen. 49: 5, 7. It was one of 
the cities of refuge, and in the distribution of the country, it 
fell to the lot of Ephraim. At present, it has a population 
of about 13,000 souls, including the Samaritans, 140 in num- 
ber, about 600 Greek Christians, a few Jews, and also a small 
number of Catholics and Protestants; the rest of the inhab- 
itants are Moslems. The people have the reputation of be- 
ing exceedingly quarrelsome and turbulent and are discour- 
teous to strangers. Until quite recently, Christians passing 



382 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

through the place, were greeted with the cry of Nozrani 
(Nazarene) and were pelted with stones. We were not, how- 
ever, disturbed, and enjoyed a refreshing night's rest, after 
our visitors left us. 




SYRIAN HOUSE. 



LETTER XV. 



Samaria— Esdraelon— Mountains of Gilboa— Jezreel— $hu- 
^ j neni -Nain— Nazareth. 

^ggE are to reach Nazareth, on Saturday evening, and as 
we do not travel on the Lord's Day, we shall there en- 
joy a day of rest— a day that will be welcome to us 
all, for we are tired and weary. We left Shechem at seven 
o'clock in the morning, going towards Samaria, for we must 
visit the ruins of the ancient capital of the ten tribes of Israel. 
Our path leads us through beautiful, green valleys, well wa- 
tered and exceedingly fertile. 

At a distance of seven miles from Shechem, we reach 
Samaria, called by Herod Sebastiyeh. It stands on an iso- 
lated hill in the valley, and, when strongly fortified, as it was 
in ancient times, when the kings of Israel dwelt here, must 
have been a formidable place. Our cut gives a supposed 
view of the ancient city when it was at the height of its 
prosperity. At present, we find an exceedingly dirty Arab 
village, situated on the hill top. It is surrounded by a cac- 
tus hedge and on every hand are the ruins of its former 
greatness. Biding up to the remains of an old church, built 
by the Crusaders, now a Mohammedan mosque, we were at 
once surrounded by a crowd of Arabs, anxious to hold our 
horses while we explored the church. Visions of a liberal 
backsheesh induce them to offer their services to the traveler 
on every occasion. We have adopted the plan of having our 
dragoman give them such sums as he considers fair pay 
for services rendered, and in this way we get along without 
trouble. 



386 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

The city of Samaria was built by Omri, king of Israel. 
He purchased the hill from Shemer, and the place took its 
name from its former owner. As Samaria became the capi- 
tal of the ten tribes, it also became the centre of the idola- 
trous worship of the Israelites. The worship of Baal was 
firmly established by Ahab. "He reared up an altar for 
Baal, in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria." 
1 Kings 16: 32. And the worship of Baal continued until 
Elijah, by a miracle, showed the people that the prophets of 
Baal were impostors and slew four hundred and fifty of them. 
Here one reads, with peculiar interest, the striking incidents 
of the siege of Samaria by the Syrians under Ben-hadad, of 
Damascus. 

It was here and during this siege that the two starving 
women made a compact to eat their children, and the four 
leprous men determined, rather than die from starvation, to 
go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they came there, 
all was silent as the grave, for the Syrians had fled, every 
man for his life. 2 Kings, 6th and 7th chapters. For the 
wickedness of its inhabitants, the burden of prophecy came 
against the city; and one cannot look at the ruins and desola- 
tion all around and about the hill of Samaria, without call- 
ing to mind the word of the Lord, "Samaria shall become 
desolate, for she hath rebelled against her God." Hos. 13: 16. 
« I w m make Samaria as a heap of a field, and as plantings 
of a vineyard, and I will pour down the stones thereof into 
the valley, and I will discover the foundation thereof." Mi- 
cah 1: 6. These prophecies have been literally fulfilled, for 
Samaria to-day is "as a heap of a field," and her foundations 
are discovered. 

A number of traditional places are pointed out, which 
would be interesting if they were genuine. We visited the 
church, or mosque, before alluded to. It has but little in it 



GIBEAH, ETC. 387 

to interest the traveler. A tradition says that St. John the 
Baptist, was buried here. We rode away from the church, 
leaving the Arabs quarreling and disputing over the division 
of their backsheesh. 

In the mud huts of the village are to be seen marble 
columns with finely carved capitals built into these misera- 
ble hovels. As we descend the hill- side, we pass a colonnade 
formed by over a hundred columns, and we can see some- 
thing of the ancient beauty and grandeur of the city. 

Again our journey is through a delightful valley. The 
ground is very fertile and, if properly cultivated, would 
yield immense crops. As it is, the ground is simply stirred 
with the primitive plow, and yet a fine growth of barley is 
to be seen. Olive groves, fig orchards and almond trees, 
with the beautiful flowers blossoming all over the valley and 
the hill-sides, make this a delightful spot, At noon we stop 
at Jeb'a, supposed to be Gibeah, and eat our lunch in a fine 
old olive grove. Here we are amply protected from the 
rays of the noonday sun and enjoy a two hours' rest. 

Leaving Gibeah and riding through a pleasant glen, we 
enter a broad valley. To our left is a fortified hill, and in 
front a steep ascent over a rocky road brings us to the top of 
a ridge, from which we have a fine view of the great plain of 
Esdraelon. Far away to the north stands Mt. Hermon, cov- 
ered with snow, which we must ride over before our journey 
is complete. Here, too, is to be seen Dothan, where Joseph 
went to seek his brethren and was sold by them to the Ish- 
maelites (probably wandering Bedouins), and the mountains 
of Gilboa, where Saul and Jonathan were slain, and Mount 
Carmel, the home of the prophet, are also in full view. 

We descend a steep, rocky road into a valley, through 
which we ride, passing a Bedouin camp on the way, and, aft- 
er a half hour's ride, our eyes are greeted by the sight of 

47 



388 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

our canvas homes. We have ridden twenty-eight miles to- 
day, and our tents are most welcome. 

Early in the morning we were up and prepared for our 
day's ride of twenty-four miles to Nazareth, and it proved to 
be one of the most interesting days we had since leaving J e- 
rusalem. Our camp was pitched at an Arab village called 
Jenin, which stands on the edge of the great plain of Esdra- 
elon, which is the same as the ancient plain of J ezreel. It 
is also called, in the Bible, the "great plain," or plain of Me- 
giddon. It is the Armageddon of Eev. 16: 16. It stretches 
across Central Palestine, from the Mediterranean on the 
west to the river Jordan on the east, and from Akka on the 
north to Carmel on the south. It has an average width of 
from ten to twelve miles, and extends from Jenin to the north- 
west twenty-four miles. It is 250 feet below the sea level. 
It has a rich, fertile soil, which, if properly cultivated, would 
make some of the richest farming land in the world. But 
little of it is cultivated, as the wandering tribes of Bedouins 
claim it as pasture land for their nocks, and much of it is 
overgrown with weeds and thistles. This great plain has 
been the battle-field of the world. Dr. Clark says, "Warriors 
out of every nation which is under heaven have pitched their 
tents in the Plain of Esdraelon, and have beheld the various 
banners of their nations wet with the dews of Tabor and 
Hermon." From the time that Barak descended from Mount 
Hermon with ten thousand men and put to flight the army 
of Sisera, until the time that Napoleon I., with a small num- 
ber of men, defeated a large Moslem army, has the plain re- 
sounded to the martial tread of the armies of many nations 
of the earth, and upon no other spot in the world have so 
many battles been fought. 

From Jenin we ride across the plain skirting the mount- 
ains of Gilboa, and, instead of going to Jezreel, we go to the 



THE FOUNTAIN OF GIDEON. 



389 



fountain of Gideon, a large fountain of pure, clear water, 
bursting forth from a rocky cavern in the mountain side. It 
was here that the three hundred men were chosen by Gideon 
to go against the Midianites, and each of them lapped the 
water of this fountain "with his tongue, as a dog lappeth. . 

. . And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hun- 
dred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Mid- 
ianites into thine hand." Judges 7: 5, 7. It was near this 
place that Saul pitched his camp, whilst the Philistines were 
encamped a short distance beyond Jezreel, at Shunem. Saul 
was in sore distress. He called upon the Lord, but "the 
Lord answered him not by dreams, nor by prophets." In his 
extremity, he consulted the witch of Endor. In the dark- 
ness of the night, he crossed over the plain and, going around 
the Philistines to reach Endor, he heard the words of Sam- 
uel that sealed his fate. 

On the morrow, the Philistines drove the armies of Is- 
rael up the slopes of Gilboa. "And the battle went sore 
against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wound- 
ed of the archers." "Terrified, with a great soul terror; 
seeking death, but finding it not, and dreading to be made 
the sport and mock of the Philistines, if captured, he begged 
his armor-bearer to thrust him through. Even this last boon 
was denied. Fixing his sword into the blood-stained ground, 
with the energy of despair he fell upon it, and so perished 
the king of Israel." * 

We retraced our steps along the side of Gilboa. At one 
place, a number of men were at work cutting out mill-stones, 
and we made a note of the fact that this was the only evi- 
dence of enterprise that we saw on our whole journey through 
Palestine. 

* Hodder. 



390 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

We now ride directly to Jezreel. One reads here with 
intense interest the account of Ahab's covetonsness. For, in 
sight of where we now stand must have been Naboth's pos- 
sessions, the inheritance of his fathers to which he clung 
until he was murdered. His language to Ahab, "The Lord 
forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fath- 
ers unto thee," shows how loyal he was to the name he bore. 
But Jezebel, the woman who, more than any one else, led Is- 
rael into idolatry, had the faithful Jew slain and gave his 
field to the king. Then came the fearful judgments of the 
Lord upon the wicked king and queen. The dogs licked the 
blood of the one, and ate the flesh of the other by the wall of 
Jezreel. Truly, "God has written in letters of blood across 
the field of Naboth, 'Beware of covetousness.' " 

Over against Jezreel, across the plain, is the village of 
Sulem, in which name we recognize the ancient Shunem. 
We cross over the valley, and are impressed with the rich- 
ness and fertility of the soil. Here, in this great valley, a 
happy and prosperous people might live, and the agricultur- 
al possibilities are equal to the best that we have in the 
United States. Instead of what might be, there are a few 
straggling Arab villages, around which only small patches of 
the rich soil are farmed, if the rude attempt at cultivation can 
be dignified with the name of farming. Here are several 
Arabs plowing, or better, scratching the ground with their 
one-handled, primitive plows, and to satisfy our further curi- 
osity in regard to the work done, we dismount and examine 
it, and again lay our hand to the plow. But it was sad work, 
and, as before, so again we were surprised that any crops 
could be grown at all with such cultivation. 

We ascend the ridge of what is now known as the little 
Hermon, and reach the village of Sulem. In appearance, it 
is far beyond the majority of Arab villages, being much 



THE SHUNAMMITE WOMAN, ETC. 



391 



cleaner, neater, and tidier than most of them. We stop here 
for our noonday rest beneath the shades of a lemon orchard, 
through which a stream of pure, clear water runs. And 
here, while resting, the Bible account of the Shunammite 
woman and the prophet Elisha was read with much interest. 
Here the woman and her husband kindly entertained the 
man of God, and built a little chamber for him on the wall 
of their house, and God gave to them a little son to gladden 
their hearts and to bring joy and sunshine into their home. 




ARAB PLOWING.— See Opposite Page. 

Below us we could well imagine were the barley fields 
where the reapers were at work. "And when the child was 
grown, it fell on a day that he went out to his father to the 
reapers. And he said unto his father, my head, my head. 
And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother. And when 
he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on 
her knees till noon, and then died. And she went up and 
laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door 
upon him and went out." 2 Kings 4: 18-21. 

There in the distance lies Mount Carmel, the home of 
Elisha, and with anxious heart the bereaved mother hurries 



392 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

across the plain to tell her great trouble to the prophet. She 
fell at his feet and poured out the sorrow of her heart. But 
her grief was turned to joy, for the prophet went with her to 
the chamber of death, and restored the child alive to the sor- 
rowing mother. This is one of the most touching stories in 
the Bible, and to read it here where the scenes related trans- 
pired, gives it a new interest. Here at Shunem, the Philis- 
tines were encamped the night before Saul fell by his own 
hand. 

Our resting place beneath the lemon trees was soon sur- 
rounded by the villagers. As we strolled through the vil- 
lage, we met a fine looking Arab woman with a pretty little 
child about ten months old. She held it up for us to admire. 
It had bright, sparkling eyes, a beautiful, round face with 
dimpled chin, and altogether it was a fine looking child. As 
we turned away, the mother said "backsheesh for baba." 
The appeal was successful, and the "baba" got a piece of 
money, but this was not the last of it. When we returned 
to the lemon grove, we found the "baba" in the arms of a 
half grown girl, probably an older sister, who was exhibiting 
her to each of our party and getting "backsheesh for baba." 
She did a thriving business that day. 

From Shunem our way leads first to Nain and then di- 
rectly to Nazareth. Near here is where Napoleon fought his 
great battle with the Turks on the 16th day of April, 1799. 
His general, Kleber, was posted at Fuleh, and with his little 
army of 1500 men withstood and kept in check the whole 
Syrian force of 25,000 men. Napoleon himself hastened to 
the relief of his general with only 600 men. The Turks, sup- 
posing that a large army was coming, turned and fled in a 
wild panic. Many of them were killed and others were 
drowned by an inundation caused by the overflow of a small 



NAIN, NAZARETH, ETC. 393 

brook. This fight is known in history as the Battle of Tabor. 
Napoleon rested in Nazareth after the victory was won. 

We now have a fine view of the conical hill known as 
Mount Tabor, and soon reach the village of Nain. This 
place is interesting on account of the miracle performed here 
by our Savior. As he neared the city with his disciples, 
they met a funeral procession. A young man, the son of a 
widow, was being carried to the tomb. "And when the Lord 
saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep 
not. And he came and touched the bier; and they that bare 
him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, 
arise. And he that was dead sat up and began to speak. 
And he delivered him to his mother." Luke 7: 13-15. 

The sun was sinking in the west as we rode up a steep 
hill-side, from the top of which Nazareth was in full view, 
descending into a valley which leads away into the plain of 
Esdraelon, and we urged our horses to a faster pace, and enter- 
ed Nazareth just as the setting suu'slast rays gilded the white 
houses on the hill-side. Our camp we found pitched in a 
pleasant place on the north side of the town. It was Satur- 
day evening, and our first week's ride in Palestine was com- 
pleted. No one can tell, without the experience, how wel- 
come this resting place was to us. Tired and sore, utterly 
worn out by the long rides over the rough roads, never was a 
resting place more grateful to weary travelers. We have 
now ridden 172 miles since we first mounted our horses at 
Jerusalem, and both horses and riders have earned a day's 
rest. 

We have our camp pitched in a most delightful spot, 
near the Virgin's Fountain. We have no recollection of ever 
having enjoyed a more refreshing night's rest, than we did 
here at Nazareth in our tent. The sun was shining brightly 
before we left our beds in the morning. It was the Sabbath 



394 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

day. At 10 o'clock we attended services in the English 
Church, and heard a sermon preached in the Arabic to an 
attentive audience. At eleven, services were conducted in 
the English by Revs. Gorden and Meais, two ministers of 
the Church of England, both of whom belonged to our party. 
The Bible account of the Shunammite woman was read very 
impressively, and a sermon preached. 

In the afternoon we started out for a walk, intending to 
reach the top of the hill, on the side of which Nazareth is 
built, but we lost our way in the narrow winding streets. An 
Arab boy about twelve years old came to our aid, and we 
made him understand, by signs, where we wished to go. He 
was bright and intelligent, and comprehended our wishes in- 
stantly. We reached the top of the hill, and found a quiet 
place to sit down and write, and part of this letter was writ- 
ten on that hill-top, with our little Arab guide sitting by our 
side and watching every movement made. 

What a panorama is spread out before us! We have 
Nain, Endor, Jenin, Dothan, Jezreel, Mount Tabor, little 
Hermon, the mountains of Gilboa, and Samaria in full view, 
and nestled on the hill-side at our feet, is the quiet city of 
Nazareth, where our Divine Master spent his childhood and 
his youth, serving his father and working as a carpenter. 
To-day we have had pointed out to us the spot where the 
house stood in which he lived, the carpenter shop, and other 
sacred sites, but these have only the merest tradition to sup- 
port them and we do not care to see more of them. It is 
enough for us to know that here he lived and labored, and 
here he taught in the synagogue of the Jews, who stubborn- 
ly rejected him and sought to thrust him down from the 
hill on which the city stood, probably from this very hill 
upon which we are now sitting, for the town is built on its 
side. Coming down from the hill-top, our little guide was 



WATER CARRIERS. 395 

made happy by a small piece of silver, which, we gave him 
when we dismissed him. 

One of the most interesting places here is the Virgin's 
Fountain. It is a strong spring of pure, fresh water. In 
the evening we stood by the fountain and watched the village 
maidens and women as they came out to the fountain for wa- 
ter and for the purpose of washing their clothes. Here are 
a half dozen women standing in the water, washing wool and 
articles of clothing. The washing is done by dipping the 
pieces in the water and- then laying them on a large, flat 
stone and pounding them with a heavy piece of wood. This 
dipping and pounding process is kept up alternately until the 
washing is done. No soap was used, and the clothes were 
not clean after the washing was done. Some one has said 
that the only time that the people in Palestine have clean 
clothes is when they get new ones. 

Here are a number of the village maidens filling water 
jars, and then, dextrously raising them to the top of their 
heads, carry them to the town. The jars are large, oval in 
shape, hold about three gallons each, and are made of a 
light, porous clay. It is surprising to see the women poise 
these jars, filled with water, on top of their heads and walk 
away with them, without holding them in their place. It is 
a picturesque sight and one sees many bright, intelligent 
faces. The villagers are, for the most part, neat and clean 
and dress very tastily. 

The contrast is so great between the people of Nazareth 
and of the other villages that we have visited, that we look 
for the cause. And it is found in the fact that here a school 
has been at work for a number of years. 

Many years ago, Miss Dixon, a wealthy English lady, de- 
termined to devote her life and fortune to the task of educat- 
ing the people of Nazareth. Her self-sacrificing labor has 



396 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



borne abundant fruit, and to-day the result of her work can 
be seen in the better condition of the people, the intelligent 
faces and the neat little town on the hill- side. Education 
has done much for Nazareth and more still remains to be 
done. The population is variously estimated at from six to 
ten thousand. It is almost impossible to get the correct cen- 
sus of a town under Turkish rule. Probably six thousand is 
not far from the number. Of these, 2200 are Moslems, 2700 
Greek Christians, 900 Catholics, 100 Maronites and 100 Prot- 
estants. We have had a delightful day at Nazareth, and as 
it closes and the shades of night gather around us, we thank 
the Lord that it has been our privilege to spend a quiet Sab- 
bath day at the mountain home of our blessed Savior. 




LETTER XVI. 



Cana— The Sea of Galilee- Capernaum— The Waters of 
Merom— Csesarea Philippi— Mount Hermon. 

|§§ROM Nazareth we journey to the Sea of Galilee, and 
pass over one of the most interesting portions of Pal- 
estine. Our Sabbath day's rest has had a wonderful 
effect upon us, and on Monday morning we are up early, 
ready and anxious to march forward. We feel that we are 
now fully equal to the task of riding to Damascus, one hun- 
dred and twenty miles away, by the way we travel, which 
city we hope, by the blessing of heaven, to reach on Satur- 
day evening. Mounting our horses, we find that the rest has 
done them good, as well as ourselves, for they are impatient 
and want to be on the way. 

We ride out of our pleasant camp, passing again the 
fountain of the Virgin, around which the water-carriers are 
thronging with their jars to secure water for the day. As- 
cending a steep hill to the north-west, we have a last look at 
Nazareth, as it nestles closely to the hill-side, its white hous- 
es shining brightly in the morning sun, and, passing over 
the brow of the hill, it is lost to sight. 

The distance from Nazareth to Tiberias is about sixteen 
miles, and we pass, on the way, the village of Kefr-Kenna, 
which, tradition says, is the Cana of Galilee. Another vil- 
lage, nine miles north of Nazareth, Kana-el- Jelil, also lays 
claim to the site. It is hard, at this time, to decide the claims 
of the rival villages. We stop here and are shown two huge, 
stone jars, said to be the ones used by the Savior when he 



398 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

turned the water into wine. They belong to the Greek 
church and are regarded as sacred by the Greek pilgrims. 
There is a spring, or fountain, here, the water of which falls 
into a sarcophagus, or stone coffin. The village is small, and, 
like most villages here, is extremely dirty. 

We now enter a beautiful and exceedingly fertile plain, 
on which the vegetation has a rank growth. It was on this 
plain that the French, under General Juno, fought bravely 
against a large Turkish army. 

To our left, as we ride along, we have a ridge or small 
mountain, with two peaks. It is called Kurin Hattin, or 
Horns of Hattin, the name being suggested, no doubt, by its 
double peaks. Since the time of the Crusaders, this mount- 
ain has been considered the mount of Beatitudes, where 
Christ preached his great sermon. Whether this is the 
mountain upon which he sat when he spake to the multitude 
or not, cannot now be known. Dr. Thompson says when he 
first visited it, the stone upon which the Savior sat was point- 
ed out to him. 

Dean Stanley, speaking of the place, says: "The tradi- 
tion cannot lay claim to an early date; it was, at first, in all 
probability, suggested to the Crusaders by its remarka- 
ble situation. But that situation so strikingly coincides with 
the intimations of the gospel narrative, as almost to force the 
inference that, in this instance, the eye of those who selected 
the spot was, for once, rightly guided. It is the only height 
seen in this direction from the shores of the lake of Gennes- 
aret. The plain on which it stands is easily accessible from 
the lake, and from that plain to the summit is but a few 
minutes' walk. The platform at the top is evidently suitable 
for the collection of a multitude, and corresponds with the 
level place* to which he would 'come down' as from one of 



*Luke 6: 17, mistranslated "plain. " 



THE MOUNT OE BEATITUDES. 401 

its higher horns, to address the people. Its situation is cen- 
tral, both to the peasants of the Galilean hills and the fish- 
ermen of the Galilean lake, between which it stands, and 
would therefore be a natural resort, both to 'Jesus and his 
disciples,' when they retired for solitude from the shores of 
the sea, and also to the crowds who assembled 'from Galilee, 
from Decapolis, from Jerusalem, from Judea, and torn be- 
yond Jordan.' None of the other mountains in the neigh- 
borhood could answer equally well to this description, inas- 
much as they are merged into the uniform barrier of hills 
around the lake; whereas this stands separate— the mountain' 
which could lay claim to a distinct name, with the exception 
of the one height of Tabor, which is too distant to answer 
the requirements." 

This hill was the scene of the last battle fought by the 
Crusaders in Palestine. Here, on the 5th of July, 1189, Sal- 
adin attacked them with his Arabian hosts and completely 
defeated them and fully established the Moslem rule in Pal- 
estine. On the sides of the hill we saw thousands of the lil- 
ies of the field in full bloom, and we thought of the words 
of the Master, "Consider the lilies of the field, how they 
grow: they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto 
you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like 
one of these." Matt. 6: 28, 29. 

When these words were uttered, the plain must have 
been in bloom, as we saw it to-day, and the great Teacher, 
pointing to the lilies blooming all around him, uttered the 
words that have, for these nineteen centuries, taught us not 
to be over careful for the things of this world. We gathered 
a handful of the beautiful lilies, so delicately painted by the 
hand of God, and well could we believe that Israel's great 
king had no array like this. 



402 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

From the side of Hattin we have our first view of the 
deep blue sea of Galilee. It lies below us about a thousand 
feet, in a kind of basin, and nearly the whole sea is in view. 
It is 700 feet below the level of the Mediterranean, seven 
miles wide at the widest point and nearly thirteen miles long. 
From where we stand the hills slope steeply down to the wa- 
ter and are covered with beautiful green. The hills beyond 
the sea recede irregularly and look barren and sterile. The 
The view may not be called a grand one, yet it has a calm, 
peaceful beauty that is brought into strong contrast by our 
recollections of the desolation of the Dead Sea. 

No one who has made the life of our Lord a study can 
approach this beautiful lake without feeling strong emotions. 
It was here that he spent much of the three years of his 
ministry, and it was on these shores, in the flourishing cities 
of Capernaum, Chorazin and Bethsaida, that many of his 
wonderful works were done. 

As we ride rapidly down the hill-side to Tiberias, many 
of the scenes that were enacted here during his stay in Gali- 
lee throng the mind. One of our earliest recollections of 
the New Testament is one connected with this calm sea- 
Christ walking on the waters and Peter, for want of faith, 
sinking beneath its waves. This we learned sitting on a 
Christian mother's knees; and how often, since then, have we 
thought of it! And now, at last, we are standing on the very 
shores of Galilee, and soon we shall be sailing over its 
smooth, placid waters, for they are as quiet and as peaceful 
to-day as, no doubt, they were after the Master had said to 
them, "Peace; be still!" 

Coming down from the hill country, we notice a great 
change in the climate. Here around Tiberias are to be seen 
sub-tropical plants, for the heat in this basin is much great- 
er than it is on the hills of Galilee. Palm trees are growing 



TIBEEIAS FROM THE SEA. 



403 



on the shore of the sea, and the fig trees are far advanced in 
leaf. Here, too, the pomegranate grows. 

We dismount at Tiberias and eat our noonday lunch un- 
der the shadow of the city wall. The old city was built A. 
D. 20, and named in honor of the Eoman emperor Tiberius. 
It is not mentioned in the New Testament unless reference 
is made to it in John 6:1: " Jesus went over the Sea of Gal- 
ilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias." It contains about 3000 
inhabitants at the present time, more than half of whom are 
Jews. They wear peculiarly shaped black hats, of large 
size, and present a singular appearance. Our horses are now 
given into the care of Yosuf, Mustafa and Pharos, to be tak- 
en to the camping place, as we are to enjoy a boat ride on 
the sea. 

We have secured two fishing boats, both provided with 
sails, but not a breath of air is stirring and the Arab fisher- 
men, of whom we have four in each boat, pull the boats with 
oars. They are a lazy set of fellows, and, notwithstanding 
we pay them two dollars for each passenger, making thirty- 
six dollars for the afternoon's work, yet we must constantly 
urge them to work to keep them from falling to sleep by 
shouting, "Yallah! yallah!" their word for "forward." 

From the sea we have a fine view of the shores that we 
have just left. This was, in the time of our Savior, the rich- 
est and lfcost populous part of Palestine. Large cities stood 
on these shores and the fertile soil produced abundant crops. 
To-day the cities are leveled to the ground and but little of 
the soil is cultivated, and there are, it is said, but three fish- 
ing boats on the sea of Galilee. 

After rowing three hours, we pulled to the shore at the 
north end of the sea and landed. Then tramping up the 
gentle slope of a hill through thick growing weeds, higher 
than our heads, we came to a mass of ruins, called Tel Hum, 



404 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



supposed to be identical with Capernaum. As we stood 
amidst the ruins of what was once a great, proud city, the 
words of the Lord came forcibly to mind: "And thou, Caper- 
naum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down 
to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done m 
thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until 
this day." Matt. 11: 23. How literally has this prophecy 
been fulfilled! To-clay the walls of the proud city are crum- 




CAPEKNATJM. 

bling in the dust, overgrown with a rank growth of weeds, 
and its humiliation is complete. The principal ruin is call- 
ed the white synagogue, the walls of which can yet be traced. 
Our cut shows some of the carved stone work, as it lies in a 
confused mass on the ground. 

Of these ruins Captain Wilson says: "If Tel-Hum be 
Capernaum, this is, without a doubt, the synagogue built by 



FROM CAPERNAUM TO OUR CAMP. 4U0 

the Roman centurion (Luke 7: 4, 5), and one of the most sa- 
cred places on earth. It was in this building that our Lord 
gave 'the well-known discourse in John 6th, on the Bread of 
Life— 'These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught 
in Capernaum' ; and it was not without certain strange feel- 
ings that, on turning over a large block, we found the pot of 
manna engraved on its face, and remembered the words, ' I 
am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the 
wilderness, and are dead.' " 

And so we might give incident after incident that throng 
upon us in the life of Christ, associated with Capernaum, for 
here he performed many of his mighty works. Two miles 
and a half to the north of Tel- Hum are the ruins of Chora- 
zin. Here, too, as well as at Bethsaida, can be seen the ruins 
of once prosperous cities, and we cannot leave the place with- 
out thinking of the woes pronounced against them. 

We again entered our boats and enjoyed a delightful 
ride to our camp, which was pitched near Magdala, at the 
fountain of the fig tree. 

The sun was sinking behind the western hills of Galilee 
and a gentle breeze of balmy air was wafted over the sea, 
breaking its smooth surface into numberless ripples that 
flashed and sparkled in the evening sunshine like innumera- 
ble diamonds. The receding hills were covered with a man- 
tle of green and we were wonderfully impressed with the 
picturesque beauty and loveliness of the scene. Our camp 
was pitched about one hundred yards from the shore, in a 
pleasant spot. As the shades of evening came down upon 
land and sea, we walked to the shore and plunged into the 
clear, refreshing water. What a splendid bath we enjoyed, 
and what a refreshing night's sleep we had after it! 

The evening boat ride from Capernaum to our camp over 
the rippling waters, the bath in its limpid waves, and the re- 

49 



406 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

freshing night's sleep on its shores will not be forgotten so 
long as we can remember the beautiful sea of Galilee. 

On Tuesday morning, we were out of bed at five o'clock, 
and in the saddle at seven. To-night our tents will be pitch- 
ed by the waters of Merom. We are now pretty well inured 
to the fatigue of horseback riding, and as we have some good 
road, we enjoy a gallop across the plain. We have a last 
look at Lake Gennesaret as we ride over the Galilean hills. 
For the most part, the country is rough and broken, and our 
forenoon's ride is without special interest or incident, except 
that we get divided up into several small parties, and finally 
lose sight of dragoman and guides. We, however, all come 
together again at our lunching place. Here, by the side of a 
beautiful fountain, that bursts out at the foot of a rocky hill, 
we rest for several hours. 

As we were preparing to go forward again, one of our 
traveling companions, a lady from Brooklyn, New York, had 
the misfortune to slip, whilst stepping down a rocky place, 
and break a leg. An accident of this kind is serious enough 
at home, but doubly serious in a place like this. Here no 
surgical appliances are to be had and the Arabs at this place 
are very unfriendly. They would not render the least assist- 
ance. Fortunately, we had two physicians traveling with us. 
Mustafa was sent forward to the camp for a board and one 
of our iron bedsteads and mattresses. With our pocket 
knives, splints were made out of the board, and, by using 
pocket-handkerchiefs for bandages, the broken bone was set 
as well as it could be done with the rude appliances at hand. 
The sufferer was then laid on the narrow bed and carried in- 
to camp on the shoulders of six men. We made slow prog- 
ress; the road was rough, and, on account of the delay, night 
and darkness came before we had gone two miles. We had, 
however, ridden forward to the camp and secured some lan- 



THE WANDERING BEDOUINS. 



407 



terns, and about nine o'clock we reached our camping place 
at Ein-Baluka. 

The accident had cast a gloom over us, but the lady, 

jy[i ss w ? was cheerful and uncomplaining, and the 

next day, as she was being carried over the rough roads on a 
litter which had been arranged on the back of one of the 
horses, she was by far the most cheerful one of the party. 
Suffering from the fracture and the fatigue of the journey, 
she never complained. For four days she was carried in 
this way over the rough roads, crossing over Mount Hermon 
and the river Pharpar. At Damascus, after a rest of several 
days, a carriage was secured at the modest sum of fifty dol- 
lars for a days drive, and she was taken to Beyroot, where 
she received excellent medical attention. 

Our camp to-night is pitched by Lake Huleh, called in 
the Bible, the "waters of Merom." 




A BEDOUIN CAMP. 

The wandering Bedouins come here to fish and hunt, 
and we passed, during the day, a number of their camps. 



408 LETTERS EROM BIBLE LANDS. 

Their tents are made of closely woven goat's hair and are 
water-proof. A number of them camp together and have 
their horses and nocks with them. At the head of the lake, 
on the low, marshy ground, we saw a number of buffaloes 
feeding. They are a small, insignificant looking animal, 
compared with the buffaloes of the western plains of Amer- 
ica. 

By these waters Joshua fought against J abin, king of 
Hazor, and all the surrounding kings, and defeated them; 
for "the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel." 
Josh. 9: 4-8. It must have been an exceedingly difficult 
matter to maneuvre an army on this low, marshy ground. 

We now have the snowy top of Mount Hermon before 
us, and our ride to-day leads us directly to the foot of the 
great mountain. Before reaching our camp for the night, 
we pass a mound about a quarter of a mile in circumference, 
and perhaps fifty feet higher than the level plain over which 
we are riding. It is called, in Arabic, Tell-el-Kadi, the hill 
of the judge, and corresponds with the Dan of the Bible. 
This is the northern boundary of Palestine, and as Beer- 
sheba is on the line of the southern boundary, the phrase, 
"from Dan to Beer-sheba," meant, literally, from one end of 
the Holy Land to the other. When Lot was taken and car- 
ried into captivity, Abraham pursued his captors to Dan and 
fell upon them and recovered his kinsman. Here it was that 
six hundred men of Dan came upon the quiet city of Laish, 
slew the inhabitants, changed the name of the place and set 
up the graven images they had stolen from Micah, and the 
place became noted for idolatry. 

At the foot of the mount bursts forth a strong stream of 
water, called the "Fountain of Jordan." It is one of the 
principal sources of the sacred stream and sends forth a con- 
siderable volume of water. 



BANIAS, OE CiESAREA PHILIPPI. 409 

At Dan our journey in Palestine terminates, and we en- 
ter Syria. Four miles from Dan, at the foot of Hermon, 
near the village of Banias, our tents are pitched. We are 
now riding through a plentifully watered country, and it is 
beautiful to look upon. A carpet of green grass is beneath 
our feet; olive groves are to be seen in abundance, and by 
the banks of the upper Jordan deep jungles of thickets and 
underbrush are growing. We cross over an old Roman 
bridge, and in a fine olive grove, with a stream of clear, pure 
mountain water flowing through it, is our camp. 

At the foot of the mountain, and within a hundred yards 
of our tents, a number of springs and fountains gush out 
from beneath the rocks and, rushing down the rocky declivi- 
ty,' unite and form the upper Jordan. Just above the spring 
is a large cave, and here the rites of the worship of the 
Greek god Pan were celebrated. Niches cut in the rocks 
and inscriptions tell of the idolatry of the place. 

Banias, or Caesarea Philippi, stands on the side of Mount 
Hermon, and its greatest attraction to the traveler is that 
here, by almost universal consent, is located the scene of the 
transfiguration of our Savior. Herod the Great built a tem- 
ple here over the fountain in honor of Caesar, and Philip, 
his son, perpetuated his own name with that of Tiberius Cae- 
sar by calling the place Caesarea Philippi. 

It was near this place that the Savior uttered the remark- 
able words upon which the Roman Catholic church base 
their faith that Peter was, and their Popes are, the represent- 
atives of Christ on the earth. "When Jesus came into the 
coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, 
Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am? " Matt. 16: 
13. It was six days after the events recorded in the 16th 
chapter of Matthew that Jesus took three of his followers 
apart and brought them into a high mountain, "and was 



410 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun 
and his raiment was white as the light." Matt. 17: 2. "It 
was here, or hereabouts, 'that on the next day, when they 
were come down from the hill, much people met him,' and 
he cast out the devil his disciples could not; here he warned 
his disciples of his approaching end; here he 'took a little 
child and set him in their midst' ; and then, when his work 
in this northern limit of his travels was completed, and the 
time of his death drew nigh, he set forth for Jerusalem for 
the last time." "And it came to pass, when the time was 
come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his 
face to go to Jerusalem." Luke 9: 51. 

On the top of the high hill, at the foot of which we are 
camped, are the ruins of an ancient castle. It is 2000 feet 
above the level of the sea. We secured a guide and climbed 
to the top of the hill, and were well repaid for our trouble. 
The ruins are very extensive, and here may be seen the ar- 
chitecture of three successive ages, the Phoenician, the Ro- 
man and the Saracenic. The building was about one thou- 
sand feet long and one hundred wide, and at one corner the 
walls are built out to the edge of a precipice, which goes 
down almost perpendicularly a thousand feet to the wild, 
desolate valley below. 

The sun was now nearing the horizon and our guide 
warned us that it would soon be dark. We started for camp 
down the steep mountain sides and, before going very far, 
the sun went down and, in a few minutes, it grew dark. In 
this latitude, the twilights are very short and we were soon 
groping our way over stones and rocks in the darkness. It 
was slow work, and we did not reach our camp until a late 
hour. Those who did not attempt the ascent were much 
alarmed for our safety, fearing that we had lost our way or 
had met with some accident. 



LETTER XVII. 



The Arabs of Palestine— Their Manners, Customs, Re- 
ligion and Home Life. 

||§|efore continuing our journey into Syria, we will devote 
Plf a letter to the inhabitants of the Holy Land. There 
are here two classes of Arabs, known as the Bedouin 
and Fellahn. They are quite separate and distinct in their 
habits and modes of living. 

The Bedouin 

is a natural rover, a regular Ishmaelite, from whom he claims 
a regular line of descent. This claim is strengthened by the 
fact. that he practices the rite of circumcision, which has 
been handed down to him for generations by his fathers. 
He lives in tents and wanders over the country with his 
flocks and herds, seeking the best grazing land and opportu- 
nity to rob the threshing-floors of the farmers, whom he 
heartily despises. Formerly, these predatory incursions so 
discouraged the villagers that they raised but little grain. 
For the last few years, Turkish soldiers have been quartered 
in the country and the bold "son of the desert," as he calls 
himself, is compelled to exchange the increase of his flocks 
for the grain that he has need of, and which formerly he 
took at his own sweet will. 

The Bedouin, mounted on his swift-footed Arabian steed, 
armed with spear and gun, scours the hills and plains of the 
country, and is regarded as a great scourge by the more 
peaceful villagers. Finding a good piece of grazing land, 



412 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

with plenty of water, he pitches his tent and makes himself 
at home. His tent is a rude affair. The cloth is coarse, but 
firmly woven of goat's hair, and is a good protection from 
both the rain and the heat of the sun. It is set on crooked 
poles, from five to six feet high. A curtain is sometimes 
used on the windward side, but all that we saw were without 
curtains, and the only protection they gave was from the rays 
of the sun and the showers of rain. Usually from eight to 
ten tents are pitched together, forming the single encamp- 
ment. Often, however, thirty or forty are found close to- 
gether. The tent is the Bedouin's home; in it he places his 
household goods and all his earthly possessions, except his 
herds and flocks. Hair mats are spread on the ground, where 
he sits during the day and sleeps at night. Like the Amer- 
ican Indian, he is averse to any form of labor. Women and 
children do the work. The woman is the most abject slave 
of her husband, and her treatment is far worse than that 
which he bestows on his horse. 

The women wear a short skirt, belted at the waist. A 
cloak-like hood is fastened to the belt behind. This cloak 
covers the arms and head, and serves as a veil when one is 
required. In many cases, the clothes worn do not cover 
their nakedness. A few wear low slippers, but, for the most 
part, they wear neither shoes nor stockings. The dress they 
wear is made of cotton cloth, which is imported from Eng- 
land and colored blue by the natives. 

The men wear a long shirt reaching to the ankles. This 
garment may be better described by supposing it to be a gun- 
ny sack, of the right length and width, open at one end, and 
three holes cut into it at the other, one for the neck and the 
other two for the arms. Over this is worn, by those who can 
afford it, a cotton gown. A girdle, woven of goat's hair, is 
worn around the waist, and to this is fastened the leather 



BEDOUIN CUSTOMS. 413 

scabbard for the long knife, or dirk, which the Bedouin in- 
variably carries with him. In cold weather, an over-shirt, or 
sack, is worn, made of heavy, woolen cloth, with broad black 
and white stripes alternating. It has arm holes, but in rainy 
weather the arms are kept under its folds. It is called the 
ab-a, and serves for a covering at night. Slippers and short 
boots are worn, made of red leather. On the head the men 
wear a kind of shawl folded three-cornered. It is laid on 
the head with two corners hanging over the shoulders and a 
third down the back. A heavy cord of goat's hair is tied 
around the head, holding the "kufeiyeh," as the head-dress 
is called, in its place. 

The Bedouins are very hospitable, and after having eat- 
en salt with them, the stranger is absolutely safe under their 
tents. They carry this so far that they consider themselves 
bound not to rob a guest for three days after he has eaten 
with them. The sheik whose tribe lays claim to the Jericho 
district, and to whom we paid tribute, sent one of his men 
two days' journey with us as an act of hospitality. They 
hold human life very sacred, and, whilst they will rob the 
traveler, stripping him naked and leaving him half dead by 
the way-side, yet they will commit murder only under the 
greatest provocation. This disposition not to take human 
life is intensified, no doubt, by the fact that the law of blood 
revenge prevails as it did with the Jews, with this difference: 
the Jews had cities of refuge, where the slayer was safe, but 
the Bedouin knows no mercy. The law requires that the 
nearest of kin must avenge the blood of his kinsman, and 
put to death his murderer. Then the friends of the man 
last slain are, under the same law, bound to retaliate, and so 
it goes on until whole tribes are involved in the feud. These 
continue for many years,— our dragoman told us that in some 

50 



414 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

cases, for centuries, and that bloody tribal wars often result 
from these quarrels. 

Their government is patriarchal and is about the same 
as it was thousands of years ago under father Abraham. 
The father of a family has supreme control — each tribe has 
a sheik, whose authority is sometimes limited by the jeal- 
ousy of his followers. The sheik's tent has the place of hon- 
or in an encampment, being on the right hand side. He is 
usually a man with dignified bearing. 

The Bedouins are of medium height, strong and muscular, 
and have a quick, elastic step. They wear a full beard. The 
color of their faces is brown, but one sees among them some 
handsome features. They are extremely fond of singing, 
story-telling and poetry. At Jericho our camp was visited 
by a number, and they gave us a sample of their vocal mu- 
sic. It was a peculiar, monotonous noise, and we failed to 
discover any harmony in it, but that may have been our fault, 
as our ears had never been trained to that kind of noise. 
The Fel-lalin, 

or tillers, which the word signifies, are the Arabs who dwell 
in the cities and villages, and who do what farming is done 
in Palestine. They may, very properly, be called the agri- 
cultural class. They differ, in many respects, from their 
wild, roving brethren of the desert and plain. They dress 
much the same as the Bedouin, with this notable difference: 
instead of the kuf eiyeh, they wear the regular Turkish turban. 
Their dress is, for the most part, extremely poor, scarcely 
serving to hide the shame of nakedness. They live in hous- 
es of the poorest kind, many of them mere mud huts without 
windows, and, in some cases, without chimneys. In cold 
weather, a fire is kindled in the centre of the room, on the 
ground. The upper part of the room fills with smoke, and 
then it escapes by the door. No attempt is made at orna- 



THE CONDITION OF THE FAKMING CLASS. 415 

mentation or even comfort. The houses are full of fleas and 
vermin and, as a matter of course, extremely filthy. We 
went into some of the huts, but were always glad to escape 
from the stifling stench and evidences of filth. 

The farmers' women do much of the work. The care of 
the children falls entirely upon them. They work in the 
field, carrying a small child slung in a kind of sack on their 
hacks. Once in the field, two stakes are driven into the 
ground, a couple of feet apart, and the ends of the sack are 
fastened, hammock-like, to the stakes. Here the young Arab 
is left to his own reflections, whilst the mother works in the 
field near by. In our ride through the country, we saw many 
of these little hammocks and, in several places, men were 
sitting by them, apparently tending the baby, whilst the 
mother was busy pulling weeds. 

As before said, the condition of the women and children 
is a hard one; indeed, it could not well be worse. They do 
all the drudgery and hard work, and it is not an unusual 
sight to see an Arab riding a donkey, with two or three wom- 
en, his wives, walking before him barefoot, carrying heavy 
loads on their backs or heads. The girls are married at from 
eleven to thirteen, the boys from thirteen to fifteen years. 
Marriage is simply a matter of business and the girls only 
change masters. They have no voice in the matter. They 
may be given to a young man of suitable age for them or to 
an old one who has several wives already. The bridegroom 
is expected to give a present to the father of the bride, and 
this custom, which is as old as the time of Abraham, may 
now almost be regarded as the purchase money for the bride, 
or, more properly speaking, slave. The marriage ceremony 
is simple. On the appointed day, the bridegroom goes to the 
house of his intended father-in-law, with some of his friends, 
and takes the bride to his own house, where a feast is made; 



416 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

this is eaten with much merriment. The ceremony ends 
with the feast and the marriage is complete. The Arab di- 
vorces his wife at his own will, by simply speaking the words. 
The penalty for marital infidelity' is death. 

The Arab farmer is seldom in a hurry. He takes his 
time to everything, and usually a long time. When his grain 




THRESHING GRAIN. 

begins to ripen, he is in no hurry to harvest it. When it is 
dead ripe, he carefully cuts it with a sickle, as his fathers 
did thousands of years ago, and as we did in America seven- 
ty-five years ago, so that, after all, in this matter, we are not 



THRESHING THE GRAIN. 417 

quite a century ahead of the Arab. After it is cut and tied 
into small bundles, it is carried on the backs of camels or 
donkeys to the Tillage threshing-floor. For this purpose a 
dry, level piece of solid ground is secured. It is carefully 
leveled and tramped and pounded until it becomes perfectly 
solid. The grain is then thrown on the floor and a kind of 
board slide, to which a couple of oxen are hitched, is dragged 
over the grain. 

This threshing instrument is called a mow-rej. The bot- 
tom of the boards is bored full of holes, into which rough 
stones of suitable size are driven, one end protruding. This 
machine breaks the straw into fine chaff and shatters out 
every grain. The oxen that draw the mow-rej and tread out 
the grain are not muzzled. This work is done leisurely. 
The farmer has no fear of rain, for the rains do not come un- 
til winter. 

After the crop is threshed, a favorable wind is waited 
for, when the mass is thrown into the air, first with a rude 
lork until the coarser straw and chaff are blown to one side 
by the wind. Then a wooden shovel is used, the fan of 
Scripture, until the chaff and dust are blown away and the 
wheat or barley is as clean as it can be made by this rude 
method. We saw the grain buyers at Beyroot giving the 
grain a further cleaning by means of sieves. The grain is 
now ready for grinding, which has been fully described in a 
former letter. That which is not needed for immediate use 
is stored in granaries. These are jug-shaped holes dug in 
the ground, five or six feet deep and plastered on the inside. 
Others, of about the same size and shape, are built on top of 
the ground, out of sun-dried brick. In some cases, the grain 
is washed before it is ground. After it is washed, it is spread 
out on a kind of sheet to dry. In nearly every village we 



418 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

entered, we saw grain spread out in this way to dry in the 
sun. 

In every village we see a number of small, jug-shaped 
structures, with a hole in them near the ground. These are 
the bake-ovens. The fuel used in the ovens is grass, weeds 

and dried manure. The 
manure is gathered and 
made into cakes by the 
women, and XDlastered 
against the walls to dry. 
At first we could not 
understand why the walls 
of the houses were plas- 
tered all over with these 
cakes, but soon ascertain- 
ed their use. When the 
dried chips are used, the 
odor arising from a heat- 
ed oven is anything but 
pleasant, and the bread 
village bake- oven. baked in them is not alto- 

gether free from the odor. We declined to eat the bread 
baked by the Arabs. The grass used is gathered, dried and 
tied or wrapped in small bunches. It burns rapidly, but 
produces considerable heat. Our Savior refers to this method 
of heating the ovens, showing that the same custom of heat- 
ing them with grass existed in his time. " If God so clothe 
the grass of the field which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast 
into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of 
little faith?" Matt. 6: 30. The bread is baked in small, 
round loaves, and this, with goats' milk, a little meat, either 
mutton or chicken, rice and coffee, constitutes their bill of 
fare. Coffee is universally used, except by the poorer class. 




NO SYSTEM OF EDUCATION. 419 

If you visit a house between meals, coffee is always served. 
It is put into small cups, holding about one mouthful, and is 
made very sweet. We tried it, and found one cupful to be as 
much as we wanted. 

The vice of intoxication is unknown among the Arabs, 
the use of fermented and alcoholic drinks being strictly for- 
bidden by the Koran. In their intercourse with each other, 
they are generally honest, and stealing among themselves is 
almost unknown. In some places, however, the traveler is 
regarded as a proper person to rob, and they steal everything 
they can get hold of. In their intercourse with strangers, 
they have the reputation of never telling the truth when an 
untruth will suit. They are, as Paul said of the Cretans, 
"always liars." No dependence can be put on their word. 
They will attest, with the most extravagant gestures and the 
strongest language, that they are telling you the truth, when 
every word they utter is a falsehood. If they are detected, 
they manifest-neither shame nor confusion, and if they show 
any concern at all, it is because they have been found out in 
their lying. An oath is regarded lightly and amounts to but 
little more than their word. 

Neither the Bedouin nor the Fel-lahn have any system 
of education among them, and school-teachers are practical- 
ly unknown. The only attempt to educate these people is 
made by the missionaries of the different churches, and they 
are generally met by opposition from the most fanatical Mos- 
lems. Our Consul at Beyroot informed us that it required 
the utmost patience and perseverance to get the Arab parents 
to consent to send their children to school. Miss Dixon's 
school at Nazareth met constant opposition from the natives 
and was several times attacked by them. The densest igno- 
rance prevails. In many of the villages, only one man can 
be found who can either read or write, and he does the writ- 



420 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



ing and reading for the whole town. Newspapers are un- 
known. There is not a printing-press in all of Palestine. 
In all the country there are only three post-offices, and these 
are kept up by the European residents. In Nazareth, a city 
of 6,000 inhabitants, a letter cannot be mailed. In one or 
two of the larger cities, native Moslem teachers are to be 
found, but their teaching is not worthy the name. 

We visited one of the schools and found about fifty chil- 
dren, ranging in age from eight to twelve yeatrs, sitting cross- 
legged on the ground floor of a dark, gloomy room. The 
teacher, with his turban on, a stout club in his hand, occu- 
pied the same posture. He was teaching the young Arabs 
to recite verses from the Koran. They recited in concert in 
a peculiar, singing kind of tone, and, at the same time, they 
kept their bodies rocking back and forth. The teacher amus- 
ed himself, brute that he was, by occasionally walking around 
among the swaying mass, and rapping them over the heads, 
hands and feet with his club. The effect of this was to in- 
crease the swaying motion and to produce more noise, and 
this is all the education they get. They learn parts of the 
Koran by rote, but have no idea of what it means. Beared 
in ignorance and superstition, the people make no advance- 
ment in civilization. There is but one way to improve them, 
and that is to educate their children. In some places this is 
being done. At Nazareth Miss Dixon is doing a grand and 
noble work. She is sending out native teachers from her 
school, and the time may yet come when the united effort of 
the Christian world may bring up the degraded Arab to a 
higher civilization. When this is done, and not until then, 
can he be Christianized, and this final result can be reached 
only through education. 

Funerals and Burial Places. 

At Jerusalem, as well as at many other places, we visited 
the Arab burial places, but never witnessed a funeral. Their 



CUSTOMS OF THE COUNTRY. 



421 



cemeteries lay outside the walls of the cities or villages. No 
attempt is made to protect them, either with fence or wall, 
and the sheep and goats graze over them. Mr. McGarvey, 
who witnessed a funeral at Hebron in May, 1879, says: 

"Among the Arabs, both villagers and Bedouins, funerals 
are conducted in a wild, disorderly manner. If the corpse 
is that of a child, it is borne to the grave coffinless, in the 
arms of a man, accompanied by a group of men who walk 
along without any order. The women who attend reach the 
grave-yard in advance, and take seats on the ground, a few 
steps distant from the grave. The men, when they arrive, 
stand around the grave, and the one bearing the corpse takes 
it among the women, that all may have a final glance at its 
features, presenting it to the mother last of all. During this 
ceremony there is a loud wailing and tossing of arms among 
the women, but the men look on with solemn calmness. The 
corpse is then taken to the grave, which is seldom a fresh 
one, but usually one already containing a number of corpses, 
and very shallow at that. The flat stone which covers it has 
been removed and a shallow excavation made. The body is 
deposited, mud mixed with lime is hastily worked into a kind 
of mortar, some fresh earth is thrown in, the flat slab is re- 
placed, the mortar is pressed around the edges of the slab, 
and the attendants return to their homes, departing in small 
groups." 

The nearest relatives, however, return to the grave in 
the morning before sunup and w T ail and mourn over it. This 
is kept up for some time after the burial. Wealthier people 
sometimes build rude stone walls around the graves of their 
friends. This is done to protect the mourning women from 
the gaze of the passers-by. The mourners are dressed in 
white, or rather, they are covered with large, white sheets, 
and in early morning hours, as they move through the grave- 

51 



422 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

yards or sit in groups around the grave of a departed friend, 
they look like so many ghosts. The author above quoted 
says: "They sorrow, too, as those who have little hope, be- 
cause the thoughts of the ignorant Mohammedans concerning 
the future of the dead are little more consoling than those of 
the heathen." They are not comforted by the Christian's 
hope of the resurrection and to them the future is dark and 
gloomy. 



V 



//Si 



MOSAIC PAVEMENT. 



LETTER XVIII. 



Our Ride through Syria— Mount Hermon— The Pharpar 
and Abana, Rivers of Syria— Damascus -The 
Ruins of Baalbek— The City of the Sun— 
t Beyroot— Homeward Bound. 

ROM Csesarea Philippi we ride directly up the side of 
Hermon, the Mont Blanc of Palestine. It is by far 
the highest mountain in all the country, rising nearly 
10,000 feet above the level of the sea, and is only a few hun- 
dred feet lower than the highest peaks of Lebanon. The 
top of the mountain is covered with snow all the year. "We 
did not ascend the peak, but crossed over a ridge to the right 
of the highest point. The roads were the steepest and 
roughest that we had yet passed over, and in many places 
were extremely dangerous. % From the top of the mountain 
looking southward, a fine view of Palestine is obtained. 
The course of the Jordan can be plainly traced with the nak- 
ed eye from the waters of Merom to the sea of Galilee, 
whilst the mountains of Samaria, of Gibeah and the Galile- 
an hills ^re to be seen. 

At noon we stop for our lunch at one of the Druse villag- 
es, of which there are a great number in Syria. They are the 
most fanatical sect of the Moslem faith, and hate a Christian 
with all their power of hating. In the afternoon, descend- 
ing the northern side of the mountain, we catch a glimpse of 
the desert plain of Damascus. We cross over the rushing 
waters of the Pharpar, assisted by a lot of half -naked Arabs, 
who dash into the water and lead our horses across the river 



424 LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 

Our camp for the night is pitched by the clear waters of this 
beautiful stream near one of the mountain villages. 

Friday we rode across the desert plain, and at noon 
reached an oasis— a little grove of poplars growing by a 
stream of water. Near this place we came upon the great 
caravan road from Damascus to Cairo. Near this spot, tra- 
dition says that Saul was stricken down by a bright light 




A MOUNTAIN VILLAGE. 

from heaven as he went down from Jerusalem to Damascus 
with authority from the high priest to persecute the disci- 
ples. "And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus; and 
suddenly there shined around about him a light from heav- 
en; and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto 
him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Acts 9:3,4. 



APPROACHING DAMASCUS. 425 

Of course there is no authority for saying that this is the 
spot where the miraculous conversion took place. It was, 
however, on this road and near Damascus. 

Near by our lunching place, a large caravan of camels, 
on the way to Egypt, had halted to rest and feed. We rode 
to within ten miles of the city, and then pitched our tents 
for the night. On Saturday morning, March 29th, we rode 
away from our camping place with the city of Damascus in 





DAMASCUS. 

full view, and a most beautiful sight it was. Its white min- 
arets and domes are bright with the morning sunlight. 
Groves and orchards surround the city; and after a ride 
across the desert plain and the barren hills, it is a most wel- 
come sight. It is said that when Mohammed came m sight 
of the city, he refused to enter it, saying, that man had but 
one Paradise, and that was above. And to the dwellers m 



426 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



the desert, its beautiful and fruitful gardens must have ap- 
peared ravishingly beautiful, a very earthly paradise, when 
contrasted with their bleak homes on the sandy plain. As 
we approach the city, we enter the gardens and orchards, 
rich in fruitage, watered by the rivers Pharpar and Abana, 
and, winding our way by the clear streams and fragrant gar- 
dens, we enter the oldest city in the world. Here we find an 
excellent hotel, and sleep under a roof for the first time since 
leaving Jerusalem. Here we rest two days, and then finish 
our ride through Syria, reaching Beyroot one week hence. 

We might devote a letter to Damascus without telling of 
all its wonders and oriental splendor, but these letters have 
already exceeded the limit intended, and hence a passing 
notice must suffice. 

Damascus, according to Josephus, is older than Abra- 
ham, and there are a number of traditions and legends con- 
necting it with the infancy of the human race. Among oth- 
ers may be mentioned, that it was here that Cain slew his 
brother Abel. Its history is as old as the Bible, and it is 
clearly associated with the lives of the earliest patriarchs. 
It was an old city when Jerusalem was built by David and 
Solomon. It has lived to see Tyre and Sidon rise and flour- 
ish for a season, and then become ruins on the sea-shore. It 
was built years before Baalbek and Palmyra, yet it flourish- 
es to-day, and the builders of the City of the Sun have pass- 
ed into oblivion. Nineveh and Babylon have become heaps 
in the desert, the dwelling place of wild beasts, while Damas- 
cus remains the most important and flourishing city in the 
East. 

In the Bible we have many allusions to the city. David 
took it and put in it a garrison, and the inhabitants became 
the servants of David. Here Paul was taken after his won- 
derful conversion; here he was baptized, no doubt, in one of 



THE CITY OF DAMASCUS. 427 

the beautiful streams for which the city is noted, and here 
he "confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving 
that this is very Christ." Acts 9: 22. 

We spent nearly three days in the old city, visiting all 
the places of interest. We walked through its streets and 
bazaars, not forgetting the street called Straight, which bears 
the same name to-day by which it was known in Paul's time. 
The window from which he was let down in a basket and so 
escaped the fury of the Jews, was shown to us, as well as the 
house of Ananias. The house of Naaman, the leper, is also 
shown. This has been turned into a hospital for lepers. 

The population of the city is estimated at 150,000, of 
whom 100,000 are Moslems and 6,000 Jews. The Moslems 
are extremely fanatical and as we walked through the streets, 
many of the old men could be heard muttering their prayers 
to keep off the evil influence that they suppose accompanies 
Christians. In 1860, this fanaticism resulted in a horrible 
massacre. The Christian quarter of the city was burned to 
the ground, and 6,000 men, women and children were sacri- 
ficed in cold blood to appease the maddened fanaticism of 
these barbarians. The villages in the mountains of Leba- 
non were also the scene of bloodshed, and it is estimated that 
in all 14,000 Christians were cruelly murdered. 

Through the courtesy of a missionary to the Jews, from 
London, England, we enjoyed the privilege of visiting some 
of the best private houses in the city. The buildings on the 
outside are covered with mud and a yellow stucco and pre- 
sent a very common appearance, but the interiors are very 
fine and, in some cases, are really grand. Entering the door- 
way of the house of one of the wealthiest Jews, we passed 
through a narrow alley, which led us into an open court pav- 
ed with white marble, in the centre of which is a beautiful 
fountain. Around about are lemon, orange and citron trees, 



428 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



bending under a load of luscious fruit. From the court 
doors open into the house. We were met by the Jew, an 
old man of sixty-five. He was very cordial and invited us 
into his reception room, which was built of the finest Italian 
marble and most elegantly and richly furnished. The marble 
was carved and gilded in clusters of golden fruits. The 
doors and ceiling were handsomely carved and decorated. 
He led us up-stairs to his private synagogue. Opening a 
large, silver case, he showed us the roll of the law written 
on parchment, from which he read in Hebrew. 

He now insisted that we must drink coffee with him. 
We returned again to the lower room and were seated on 
costly divans. The old man clapped his hands; a richly- 
dressed servant appeared and, placing his hands on his 
breast, he bowed low before his master. Orders were given 
for coffee, which was served in a few minutes, and of which 
we all, by the laws of Eastern etiquette, were compelled to 
partake. After coffee, the narghili, the Turkish pipe, was 
passed around. The old man was a great talker. When he 
found that we were from America, he at once boasted of hav- 
ing had a number of American visitors. He took from his 
desk an old sack full of letters and papers. Emptying them 
out on the divan before him, he, after a great deal of search- 
ing, handed us a letter and a printed copy of a speech deliv- 
ered in our Congress by Hon. S. S. Cox, of New York. The 
honorable gentleman had visited the Jew a few years ago, 
and on his return home to America had sent him a copy of 
one of his speeches on the tariff question. As the old Dam- 
ascene could not read English, he treasured the little pam- 
phlet very highly. We visited several other houses of about 
the same style. We came back to our hotel and, thanking 
our gentlemanly guide for having given us an opportunity to 



THE ABANA AND ITS SOURCE. 



429 



see something of the Orientals, we hade him farewell and 
saw him no more. 

It was on the first day of April that we rode away from 
Damascus on our way to Baalbek. It was a beautiful day 
and the ride was a pleasant one. We followed the course of 

the Abana. The scenery is 
delightful. The river, clear 
and swift, rushes down the 
valley, its waters giving life 
and vigor to the luxuriant 
vegetation that grows on its 
banks. Fruit trees abound 
on every hand. The micrnash, 
the pomegranate, the fig and 
many others are seen in 
profusion. 

The rich groves, the fine 
orchards and the green grass 
are in striking contrast with 
pomegranate. the barren hills all around. 

It is like riding through Paradise with desolation in the 
distance. 

At noon we stopped at the fountain of Ain Fijeh, the 
principal source of the Abana, called by the Arabs Barada. 
Here, at the foot of the mountain, a full-grown river bursts 
out from a rocky cave and dashes down over the rocks into 
the valley below. It was a delightful resting place, but we 
carry an exceedingly unpleasant recollection of the inhabit- 
ants of the village of Fijeh, standing near the fountain. As 
we mounted our horses to ride forward, after our lunch, we 
were suddenly surrounded by a yelling, howling mob of Ar- 
abs, who were wild with excitement and who seemed deter- 
mined to annihilate us. They were armed with clubs, axes 




430 LETTERS FBOM BIBLE LANDS. 

and stones and it appeared, at one time, that we should not 
escape without personal injury. But, fortunately, no one 
was hurt, although some of us were badly frightened, and 
we rode away, glad to escape from the inhospitable inhabit- 
ants of Fijeh. 

Our camping place for the night was at Suk-Wady-Bar- 
ada, but our sleep was broken and disturbed by the recollec- 
tion of the danger we had just passed through. We were 
not further molested and left our camp early in the morning, 
on our way northward. We passed the reputed tomb of Abel. 
The rain was now coming down in torrents and we did not 
stop to visit the burial place of this antediluvian. It con- 
tinued to rain all day and the air was rough and chilly. As 
we rode along a swift mountain river, one of the horses made 
a misstep and both horse and rider went down the steep bank 
into the water. Fortunately, the rider, an English lady, was 
not injured and, save a thorough wetting, did not suffer from 
the accident. 

We rode twenty-five miles through the rain and reached 
our camp late in the evening, wet to the skin and chilled to 
the bone, for as we ascended the mountains of Lebanon, it 
grew cold. To add to our discomfort, Ave found that some of 
the pack mules had fallen into the river and our tents and 
beds were also wet. Fire was out of the question and we 
crept into our damp beds shivering with cold. It rained all 
night. About midnight a hard storm set in and the side of 
our tent was blown in. We were out of bed early in the 
morning and started for Baalbek, sixteen miles away, in the 
driving rain. Never was seen a more dismal lot of travelers. 
In the pelting rain-storm, water-proofs were of but little 
service, and our already damp clothing was soaking wet. To 
add to the general discomfort and misery, as we crossed the 
top of Lebanon, it commenced snowing. It also grew cold- 



A SEVERE CHILL. 431 

er, and for two hours we rode facing a fierce snow-storm. 
At leng th, as we ascended a hill-top, we caught a glimpse of 
the ruins of Baalbek, and never was sight more welcome. 
We rode up to the little village and found a gloomy, rough- 
looking building, which we found to be a kind of hotel. The 
rooms within were without fire and as uncomfortable as they 
could well be. Our baggage was far back on the hills of 
Lebanon and dry clothes were out of the question. 

Finally, we secured a couple of pans, with some coals of 
fire in them. We wrung the water out of our clothes and 

sat shivering 
over the dying 
embers, trying 
! to dry our wet 
| clothing. Near- 
I ly four hours 
I later, our bag- 
m gage arrived, 

m and we were 

Pi 

y soon made more 
jj c omf ortable. 
^ Wife, as a result 
of the exposure, 
took a severe 
chill, with a 
slight fever, but, by the prompt application of remedies, the 
fever was broken and she was able to continue the journey. 
Towards evening, the clouds broke away and the sun shone 
brightly on the mountains of Lebanon, now covered with a 
mantle of snow. 

Baalbek is noted for its great ruins. The name means, 
in the Arabic, "the city, or crowded place, of the sun." It 
was here that magnificent temples were built to the worship 




A REJECTED ISTONE.-See Next Page. 



432 



LETTERS FROM BIBLE LANDS. 



of Baal, whose ruins are still the wonder of the world. Here 
are the largest cut stones in the world. Three of these are 
built in a wall, nineteen feet from the ground. They meas- 
ure, respectively, sixty-three, sixty-two and a half, and sixty- 
two feet in length and are fourteen feet high and thirteen 
feet thick. A mile from the temple is the quarry from 
which the stones were taken, and here is to be seen one of 
the stones lying in the quarry, cut and squared ready for use, 
but, for some cause now unknown, rejected by the builders. 
It lies on the original bed of rock and is cut away from it, 
except a small part underneath. How were these huge mass- 
es of stone moved? Recent excavations at Nineveh have 
disclosed the secret. From the quarries to the top of the 
wall an inclined plane of heavy timbers was made. In the 
stone square holes were cut; into these wooden pins were 
driven, to which heavy ropes were tied and then men were 
hitched to the rope, each man pulling 200 pounds, and the 
stones were in this way moved. The size and weight of the 
stone to be moved was limited only by the number of men 
that could be hitched to it. 

From Baalbek we had two days' ride to Beyroot, cross- 
ing over and camping on the mountains of Lebanon, near 
some Syrian oaks. The top of Lebanon was covered with 
snow and, two hours after crossing the ridge, we were riding 
down into the valley below, where the fig trees, oranges, lem- 
ons, pomegranates, dates and palms were in full fruitage. 
Our last day's ride was a pleasant one. We had an excellent 
road and we entered Beyroot in the afternoon and found an 
excellent hotel by the side of the sea. Here we also found 

Miss W , who had left us at Damascus. Her broken 

limb had been properly cared for and she had determined to 
go with us on our homeward journey. 



HOMEWARD BOUND. 435 

And now, for home! How often had we longed, nay, 
prayed'for the time to come when we should again take ship 
atBeyrootfor our return voyage! And now the time had 
come. We had a pleasant voyage on the Mediterranean. At 
Smyrna we parted from our traveling companions, they going 
to Constantinople and we to Trieste, and to our German 
home, which we reached April 22nd. Here we spent a week, 
preparing for our sea voyage. 

May 1st we boarded the good ship "Werra" at Bremer- 
haven, where we had landed nine months before. Our home- 
ward voyage was rough and stormy, and we had our full 
share of sea-sickness. We arrived at New York after a voy- 
age of eleven days, and with hearts full of gratitude to the 
Giver of all good, we once more trod upon the soil of our 
own dear native land. 

And here, perhaps, as well as at any other place, we may 
write the two words to close these letters which will some 
day be set over against our lives, 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

% 

PART I— Letters From Europe, 

LETTER I. 

From our Home in America to Germany 9—22 

LETTER II. 

Germany • ' 23—39 

LETTER III. 

A Tramp in the Mountains of Saxony • 40—53 

LETTER IV. 

The Life and Death of John Huss 54—64 

LETTER Y. 

The Luther Anniversary-Luther's Work-Religion in Ger- _ 

many bo-7 * 

LETTER VI. 

Germany-Farms and Earm Life-Wages-The Customs and 

Habits of the People < J — 9 

LETTER VII. 

Denmark and the Danish Mission-Brother Hope's Work- 

From Halle to Copenhagen Jb— 1U! 

LETTER VIII. 
The Church and mission in Denmark— The Land and Peo P le 

—Copenhagen 1UJ l " 

LETTER IX. 

Our German Home - The Old Celts - August Hermann 
Francke and his Orphan Asylum - The Halloren - 

Legends .......124—1^ 

LETTER X 

En route to Palestine-Munich— Venice-Trieste and Corfu. 135 -15 

% 

PART II —Letters From Bible Lands, 



LETTER I. 

Athens— The Acropolis and its Ruins— The Old Temples— 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



437 



LETTER II. 

Erom Athens to Smyrna-The Seven churches of Asia- 

Ephesus— The Temple of Diana 164—177 

LETTER III. 

From Smyrna to Jaffa-The Old City-The Home of Simon ^ 

the Tanner K8-197 

LETTER IY. 

Chronological and Historical 198—216 

LETTER V. 

From Jaffa to Ramleh-The Lepers— Leprosy-The Valley 

of Ajalon— Joshua's Victory : 217—232 

LETTER VI. 

Over the Mountains to Jerusalem— Kirjath-jearim— Histor- 
ical Sketch of Jerusalem 233—251 

LETTER VII. 

Jaffa Gate-David's Tower-The Streets of the City-The 

Haram esh-sherif, or Temple Platform 254—265 

LETTER VHL 
The Dome of the Rock, or the Mosque of Omar— Solomon's 
Temple— The Sacred Rock— The Mosque El-Aska— Solo- 
mon's Stables and the King's Cisterns 267—282 

LETTER IX. 

The Via Dolorosa— The Church of the Holy Sepulchre and 

the Sacred Fire 283-294 

LETTER X. 

The Jews' Wailing Place— Robinson's and Wilson's Arches 

—David's Tomb— Around the City Walls. 295—313 

LETTER XI. 

The Pools— The Water Supply of Jerusalem— The Tombs of 

the Kings • 314 - 328 

LETTER XII. 

The Garden of Gethsemane— Mount Olivet— Bethlehem. .331— 346 

LETTER XIII. 
From Jerusalem to Jericho— Our Camp at Jericho— Gilgal— 

The Dead Sea— The Jordan 347—367 

LETTER XIV. 
From Jericho to Bethel— Shiloh— Jacob's Well— Shechem— 
Joseph's Tomb— Mts. Gerizim and Ebal— The Samaritans 
and their Feast of the Passover 368—382 



438 



LETTERS FEOM BIBLE LANDS. 



LETTER XY. 

Samaria— Esdraelon— Mountains of Gilboa— Saul's Death— 

Jezreel— Shunem— Nain— Nazareth .385—396 

LETTER XVI. 
Cana— The Sea of Galilee— Capernaum— The "Waters of Me- 

' r0 m— Csesarea Philippi— Mount Hermon 397—410 

LETTER XVII. 
The Arabs of Palestine— Their Manners, Customs, Religion 

and Home Life 411-422 

LETTER XVIII. 
Our Ride Through Syria — Mount Hermon— The Pharpar 
and Abana, Rivers of Syria— Damascus— The Ruins of 
Baalbek, the City of the Sun — Beyroot — Homeward 
Bound 423—435 




DISTANCES IN PALESTINE, 



It is not possible to give, in all cases, the exact distance between 
the different points, owing to the fact that careful surveys have not 



been made. 










FROM JAFFA TO 




Lydda 


12 miles 


Ramleh 


10 miles 


Jerusalem 


40 " 


Caesarea 


38 "~ 




FROM JERUSALEM TO 




Bethlehem 


miles 


Bethany 


2 miles 


Jericho 


- 20 " 


Dead Sea 


- 28 " 


Hirer Jordan 


29 " 


Hebron 


21 " 


Shechem 


- 40 " 


Nazareth 


- 85 " 


Sea of Galilee 


110 " 


Damascus, about 


200 " 




Beyroot, about 


280 miles. 





i 




7* 



